The decision to end a relationship cannot be called cheating or fraud.

The Supreme Court bench comprising Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan held that if two adults are in a consensual love relationship and have physical relations, then after the breakup, such relations cannot be considered rape merely because they are no longer together.

The court made this observation in a case involving a man accused of rape after falsely promising marriage. The court acquitted the accused of the charges. The Supreme Court noted that a worrying trend has emerged in recent years, whereby criminal law is invoked after the end of a consensual relationship.

The court clarified that if consent was obtained from the outset through a false promise of marriage, the case may be different. However, consensual physical relations cannot automatically be considered rape simply because the relationship deteriorates or breaks down.(UPDATED ON 30TH OCTOBER 2026)