Being in love is not an offence: Bombay HC

“Being in love is not an offence. We need to look at these matters in a different angle. We will ensure that the girl is happily married. If the guardians of the girl themselves have consented to the match then it needs to be handled carefully,” a division bench of Justices V M Kanade and R G Ketkar said.

The petitioner,Amol Dhawale (23) was arrested on September 19 last year by Islampur police in Sangli district for allegedly sexually assaulting the minor at a hotel room in Khandala under the pretext of marriage.

The victim and the accused had been in relationship for long.

According to police,the victim had accompanied two of her cousins (both minors) and the accused to Khandala. On her return,the girl’s mother learnt about the incident and lodged a complaint.

Following the family’s decision to amicably settle the matter,Dhawale approached high court seeking to revoke the FIR registered against him.

The matter has been kept for further hearing later this week.