Overview
- The Supreme Court bench, which heard the case Monday, issued notice returnable May 25 to explore a mediated settlement.
- The judges asked how a long, consensual live-in relationship that led to a child could later be treated as sexual assault on a false promise of marriage.
- The court flagged the risks of relationships without a legal bond, noting that a breakup by itself does not make out a criminal offence and questioning the delay in filing the complaint.
- The bench urged civil remedies focused on the child’s welfare, saying a child cannot be illegitimate and suggesting maintenance as a practical outcome.
- The case challenges a Madhya Pradesh High Court order that quashed an FIR under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, with the woman alleging deception, including a concealed prior marriage by the accused.