Consent Withdrawn Mid-Act Doesn’t Make Sex Rape, Rules Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court dismissed a rape case filed by a woman against a man she met on the dating app Bumble, holding that the relationship appeared consensual.

 The complainant alleged that the accused forced himself on her after she withdrew consent during intercourse in a hotel. The Court noted the man’s claim that police ignored chat records which, though indecent, reflected mutual intimacy.

The Court underscored the importance of distinguishing consensual sexual relationships from rape allegations. Finding the prosecution unsustainable, and held that continuing the trial would cause a miscarriage of justice and quashed the proceedings.

[Sampras Anthony v State of Karnataka]