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Bengaluru: In a significant judgment, the Karnataka High Court on Monday ruled that consensual sexual activity between two adults cannot be treated as a criminal offence, quashing a rape case filed by a woman against a 23-year-old man she met through a dating application.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna, while delivering the verdict, observed:
“A relationship that begins with mutual consent and later ends in disappointment cannot be criminalised. Except in specific circumstances defined by law, consensual relationships do not amount to rape under the Indian Penal Code.”
The court was hearing a petition filed by Sampras Anthony, seeking to quash the FIR registered against him by a woman who had accused him of rape after their relationship turned sour. The two had reportedly met through a dating app, engaged in WhatsApp chats, calls, and exchanged photos and videos, before meeting in person in Bengaluru on August 8, 2024.
According to the complaint, the woman alleged that Anthony had taken her to an OYO room after dining together at a restaurant, where he allegedly committed sexual assault. The following day, she underwent a medical examination and filed a rape complaint at the Konanakunte Police Station, claiming that she had withdrawn her consent at the time of the act.
However, the court, after reviewing the evidence, noted that the relationship was clearly consensual and that the woman’s actions — including long-term interaction, meeting in person, and continued communication — indicated mutual consent.
The High Court therefore quashed the FIR, ruling that a consensual relationship that later ends in dispute or emotional fallout cannot be treated as a criminal offence.
The judgment reaffirms the legal principle that criminal law cannot be invoked to penalise failed personal relationships between consenting adults, marking an important clarification in cases involving dating app relationships and mutual consent.
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