'Legally married woman cannot claim she was sexually exploited on promise of marriage'; HC grants bail to police officer

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has observed that a legally married woman cannot claim she was sexually exploited on the promise of marriage. The court said such an allegation does not hold under the law. Justice Bechu Kurian made this observation while granting bail to a police sub-inspector accused in a sexual assault case.

According to the complaint, the accused had a sexual relationship with the woman from 2016 to 2025 after allegedly promising to marry her. The court noted that the allegations are serious but pointed out that since the complainant is still legally married to another man, she cannot be considered deceived by a promise of marriage. Although the woman and her husband were living separately, their marriage had not been legally dissolved, the court said, citing a Supreme Court ruling.

The court further observed that the prosecution had failed to show the need for custodial interrogation, and therefore, there was no reason to keep the accused in custody.

The complaint also stated that the woman lived with the accused until July 2025. She further alleged that the officer married another woman in January this year.