Man who raped teen, now adult, acquitted, court says relationship was consensual

A special court in Thane acquitted a man accused of kidnapping and raping a 17-year-old girl, who has now become an adult. The ruling turned on findings that the woman was an adult and that their relationship was consensual.According to the prosecution, the man kidnapped the girl, a Thane resident who claimed to be 17, on June 14, 2019, took her to Uttar Pradesh and subjected her to forcible sexual assault. (Representative image)A special court in Maharashtra's Thane district has acquitted a 26-year-old man accused of kidnapping and raping a girl, holding that she was an adult and that the relationship between them was consensual. The court said the evidence showed that the two were in a romantic relationship and that the woman had willingly gone with him to Uttar Pradesh.In its order passed on August 29, a copy of which was made available on Tuesday, Special POCSO Court Judge Premal S Vithalani said the prosecution had failed to prove that the girl was a minor at the time of the offence. The court also found no basis to support the charge that she had been taken away against her will.According to the prosecution, the man kidnapped the girl, a Thane resident who claimed to be 17, on June 14, 2019, took her to Uttar Pradesh and subjected her to forcible sexual assault. She later became pregnant and gave birth to a child in February 2021.A case was registered against the accused under the Indian Penal Code for kidnapping and rape, and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The defence challenged the prosecution's case, and after hearing both sides, the court said the evidence clearly showed that the girl had willingly gone with the accused to Uttar Pradesh.The court said, "...the evidence on record leaves no room for doubt that there was a romantic relationship between the victim and the accused." It also noted that the girl's parents were against the relationship and were searching for a groom for her, and that she had gone with the accused on her own.The court further said that the material on record left no room for doubt that after the girl attained majority, her marriage with the accused was performed and they thereafter began physical relations. On that basis, the court acquitted the man of the charges of kidnapping and rape under the IPC and the POCSO Act.The case centred on allegations of kidnapping and rape, but the court concluded that the woman was not a minor, that she had accompanied the accused willingly, and that the relationship between them was consensual.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 10, 2026 12:30 IST