New Delhi, June 3 (Reporter) The Supreme Court has quashed an FIR (first information report) registered against a man accused of establishing sexual relations under the false promise of marriage and charges under Section 376(2)(n) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and Section 3(2)(v) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. A division bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta set aside the judgment of the Telangana High Court, which had earlier refused to quash the FIR. The apex court held that the continuation of proceedings would amount to a “travesty of justice” and “gross abuse of the process of court”. The Court, after perusing the material on record, observed that the FIR was “a bundle of lies” filled with “fabricated and malicious unsubstantiated allegations”. It further held that the complainant had exhibited “vindictive and manipulative tendencies”, which significantly impacted the case. The complainant had lodged a report with Police Station Madhapur (Guttala), Cyberabad, alleging that the accused and his mother had agreed to her marriage, drawing up a written agreement. It was further alleged that the accused visited her home on June 24, 2021, and had sexual intercourse with her without intending to proceed with the marriage. Subsequently, she lodged another FIR in 2022 at Police Station Vanitha, Kozhikode City, Kerala, stating that she had met the accused via Bharat Matrimony and that he had avoided marriage after returning from the USA.She alleged that sexual relations occurred on four occasions in May 2021 and later he refused to marry her on caste grounds. The FIR was later transferred to Madhapur Police Station due to lack of jurisdiction. The accused approached the Telangana High Court seeking quashing of the FIR, which was rejected. He then filed an appeal before the Supreme Court. The Court took note that the complainant had earlier filed a similar FIR in 2019 at Osmania University Police Station against an Assistant Professor on identical grounds of false promise of marriage. Upon scrutiny, the Supreme Court found inconsistencies in the complainant’s statements across multiple FIRs. For instance, in the 2021 FIR, she mentioned only one incident of sexual intercourse, while in the 2022 FIR, she claimed four such instances, all predating the first FIR. The Court also examined chat messages submitted by the accused and noted that the complainant had admitted in those messages to being manipulative, which influenced the Court’s assessment. The Court emphasized that even if the accused had later withdrawn from the proposed marriage, it could not be construed as an offence under false promise of marriage or an atrocity based on caste. The bench also noted that the complainant had not made any caste-based allegations in the initial FIR filed in 2021. Considering the inconsistencies, previous similar complaints, and the lack of credible evidence to support the allegations, the Supreme Court quashed the FIR and all consequential proceedings against the accused. The Court concluded that the accused was “absolutely justified” in backing out of the proposed marriage upon discovering the complainant’s obsessive and aggressive behavioural pattern, as revealed through the chats. The Court’s approach is to ensure that criminal law is not misused for oblique motives and that judicial scrutiny remains sharp in safeguarding the rights of the accused in cases involving personal relationships...////...