In Brief
A man was accused of deceiving a woman through a false promise to marry under Section 376 IPC after they were in a consensual relationship for 1.5 years. The woman complained when he later refused to marry her. The High Court declined to quash the charge sheet, deferring to trial. The Supreme Court held that merely breaching a promise to marry—when the promise was made in good faith at inception—does not constitute the offence. The false promise must have been false from the outset with no intention of being honoured. Since no such allegation existed, the Court allowed the appeal and quashed the charge sheet.
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