HC: False pledge to marry nixes consent for sex

Last week, the Nagpur bench of Bombay HC confirmed a 10-year rigorous imprisonment for a man convicted of raping a minor under the false pretense of marriage. Justice Urmila Joshi-Phalke emphasized the invalidity of a minor’s consent and remarked that a false promise amounted to ‘misconception of fact.’ DNA evidence supported the minor’s claims, consolidating the prosecution’s case.