The story so far: If a man promises to marry a woman but never intends to, and still has ‘consensual’ sex with her, it will amount to a criminal offence under Section 69 of the proposed Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The Bill, which seeks to replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860, identifies ‘sexual intercourse on false promise of marriage’ as an offence.
At present, the offence is not carved out separately in the IPC, but courts have previously dealt with similar cases through other provisions within the criminal law framework, with a Bench of the Supreme Court deliberating on a case this week itself.
The BNS is one of three new draft criminal law Bills brought by the Union Government on the last day of the Monsoon Session. A Standing Committee on Home Affairs has three months to review, carry out consultations and submit its report on the Bills.
