‘Met on dating app’: Delhi HC grants bail to man accused of rape

The man was booked under the Indian Penal Code’s Section 376 (rape) and 420 (cheating) after the woman alleged the man “initiated sexual contact” by promising to marry her

The Delhi high court has granted bail to a man accused of raping a woman allegedly on the false pretext of marriage, saying the two met on dating and not a matrimony app. It said the accused sent messages to the woman but did not propose to marry her.

The Delhi high court ordered the bail on Wednesday. (Representative Photo)

In his order on Wednesday, Justice Vikas Mahajan of the high court said the relationship between the two appeared to be consensual. He added there did not seem to be any false marriage promise or her consent was obtained on a misconception.

“...the complainant and the petitioner met on a dating app ‘Hinge’ and not a matrimonial app. There has been [an] exchange of numerous WhatsApp messages between them, and in none of the messages there is any promise made by the petitioner to marry the prosecutrix or a proposal of marriage mooted by the prosecutrix and accepted by the petitioner.”

The man was booked under the Indian Penal Code’s Section 376 (rape) and 420 (cheating) after the woman alleged the man “initiated sexual contact” by promising to marry her. She added they continued the intimate relationship, and she also gave the accused ₹1.2 crore for treatment.

The man denied promising anything and said the allegations were only an afterthought since they met on a dating and not a matrimonial app.

His lawyer, LS Chaudhary, said there was no substance in the woman’s allegations that she got into an intimate relationship with his client under the misconception of his education and other credentials. He added the woman knew his client did not have a PhD in 2021.

Additional public prosecutor Hemant Mehta opposed the bail, saying the man misled the complainant regarding his medical condition and that she paid a substantial amount of money to him. He said the woman’s flatmate corroborated the allegations of false marriage promise.