ORDER

Dated this the 23^rd day of February, 2026 The sole accused in S.C. No. 758 of 2020 on the file of the Additional Sessions Court, Thiruvananthapuram, arising out of Crime No. 612 of 2019 of Mannanthala police station, filed this petition under Section 482 of the Cr.P.C., praying for quashing all further proceedings against him. The offences alleged against the petitioner are under Sections 376 of the IPC and 3(2)(v) of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act .

2. The prosecution case is that the accused, who is not a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, after promising to marry the defacto complainant, who is a member of the Scheduled Caste community, sexually abused her and thereafter refused to marry her.

3. The learned counsel for the petitoner submitted that now the entire dispute between the petitioner and the defacto complainant has been settled, therefore he prayed for quashing all further proceedings against the petitioner.

4. The petition was opposed by the learned Public Prosecutor.

5. Though notice was served on the 2^nd respondent/

defacto complainant, she did not turn up. However, she had filed an affidavit stating that