In Brief
A woman alleged that her former fiancé raped her in Delhi, and later harassed her with abusive calls and death threats from Uttarakhand. She filed a complaint with charges under rape (Section 376 IPC) and harassment (Sections 504 and 506 IPC). The Sessions Court at Chamoli discharged the accused for the rape charge, finding it lacked territorial jurisdiction as the rape occurred in Delhi. The High Court upheld this discharge. The Supreme Court held that rape and harassment offences do not form a single transaction requiring joint trial—they lack proximity of time, place, continuity of action, and shared purpose. The rape (completed in February 2016) and threats (made in November 2016) are separate, distinct acts. The Sessions Court at Chamoli therefore correctly lacked jurisdiction for the rape charge. The Court dismissed the appeal, upholding the discharge order.
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