The court can quash FIRs in cases of alleged sexual offences if the complainant unequivocally expresses a desire to resolve disputes amicably after marriage, indicating no public interest in continuing prosecution.

JUDGMENT (Oral)

The hearing has been conducted through video conferencing.

1. Vide present petition, petitioner is seeking quashing of FIR No. 95/2021, registered at police station Naraina, Delhi for the offence under Sections 376 (2) (n) IPC.

2. Notice issued.

3. Ms. Richa Kapoor, learned Additional Standing Counsel for respondent No.1/State accepts notice.

4. Ms. Neha Rajpal, Advocate for respondent No.2, accepts notice and submits that respondent No.2, who is the complainant of FIR in question, is present through video conferencing.

5. The Investigating Officer of this case is present through video conferencing and she has identified the complainant who is also present through video conferencing.

6. With the consent of both the sides, the present petition has been taken up for hearing and disposal.

7. Learned counsel for petitioner submits that the FIR in question was registered at the instance of respondent No.2 against the petitioner due to some misunderstanding, which stood cleared and after resolving all the disputes, petitioner and respondent No.2 have solemnized marriage and are now living happily together as husband and wife.

8. On the other hand, learned Additional Standing Counsel has opposed the present petition while submitting that the allegations levelled against the petitioner in the FIR in question are serious in nature and he does not deserve any relief from this Court.

9. The case of the prosecution, as noted in the FIR in question, is that respondent No.2/complainant had met the petitioner on a matrimonial site and developed friendly relations with him, which turned into a love affair. It is alleged in the FIR that on the pretext of entering into marriage, petitioner developed physical relations with respondent No.2/complainant, which continued on many occasions. However, after some time petitioner started ignoring her and she got to know that petitioner was in relationship with some other girl and had deceived her. Aggrieved by the conduct of petitioner, respondent No.2/complainant filed a complaint against him, which culminated in the FIR in question.

10. At this stage, learned counsel for petitioner submits that petitioner and respondent No.2 after clearing all the misunderstandings have married each other and in the interest of justice, the present petition be allowed.

11. Respondent No.2, who is present through video conferencing, has affirmed the factum of her marriage with petitioner. She has also affirmed contents of her affidavit dated 13.05.2021 filed in support of this petition and she submits that she wants to give a quietus to the dispute with petitioner to live a happy life ahead.

12. Recently, the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Sonu @ Subhash Kumar Vs. State of Uttar Pradesh & Anr., 2021 SCC OnLine SC 181 against an order of dismissal of application, where accused had refused to marry the complainant despite having been in physical relationship and promised to marry her, had referred to the principles annunciated in Pramod Suryabhan Pawar Vs. State of Maharashtra, (2019) 9 SCC 608 and observed as under:

"9. In Pramod Suryabhan Pawar (supra), while dealing with a similar situation, the principles of law which must govern a situation like the present were enunciated in the following observations:

"Where the promise to marry is false and the intention of the maker at the time of making the promise itself was not to abide by it but to deceive the woman to convince her to engage in sexual relations, there is a "misconception of fact" that vitiates the woman's "consent". On the other hand, a breach of a promise cannot be said to be a false promise. To establi