Supreme Court Issues Caution on Pre-Marital Physical Relationships: “Don’t Trust Anyone Blindly”

New Delhi: Observing a sharp rise in complaints of sexual assault arising from false promises of marriage, the Supreme Court on Monday issued a caution to young individuals regarding pre-marital physical relationships. The court emphasized that couples should exercise extreme caution before engaging in intimate relations before marriage. However, it also acknowledged that such advice may seem old-fashioned to some.

During a hearing on a bail petition of a man facing charges under alleged false promises of marriage, Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan questioned how the woman involved had agreed to travel to Dubai, where the two engaged in a physical relationship.

The bench remarked, “It happens with consent. We may be old-fashioned, but a boy and a girl before marriage are complete strangers. They must exercise caution before entering into any physical relationship prior to marriage.”

Supreme Court Observations

Justice Nagarathna stated, “Whatever is good or bad in their relationship, we cannot comprehend how they can form a physical relationship before marriage… You need to be extremely careful; do not blindly trust anyone before marriage.”

In the case at hand, the complainant alleged that she had gone to Dubai at the man’s request, where he promised marriage and engaged her in a physical relationship, only to later marry someone else.

Trial and Punishment Not Appropriate in Such Cases

The court further clarified that such cases are not suitable for trial or punishment. Justice Nagarathna encouraged both parties to explore the possibility of settlement and postponed further proceedings until Wednesday to hear their views. “If she was so strict about it, she should not have gone before marriage. These are not cases where trial and punishment can be applied when the relationship occurs with consent,” the bench added.