The North Goa Fast Track Special Court has acquitted a Karnataka native of charges alleging that he had sexual intercourse with a woman on the pretext of marriage, after the complainant chose not to support the prosecution’s case. The trial court held that there was no incriminating material on record to convict the accused after the complainant turned hostile during the trial.

According to the prosecution, the accused, a native of Haveri, Karnataka, residing in Tabrawado, Saligao, was accused of befriending the woman and engaging in sexual relations with her on multiple occasions between September 2024 and December 2024 on the assurance that he would marry her. Saligao Police registered an FIR on December 11, 2024, following her complaint, and subsequently filed a chargesheet alleging that sexual relations had been obtained through deceitful means or false promises of marriage.

During the trial, when the complainant was examined as the primary witness, she testified that she had known the accused for two to three years before filing the complaint. However, she stated that she did not wish to pursue the matter or depose against him. She further told the court that her earlier statement recorded before the Magistrate was incorrect.

The court observed that, in cases involving allegations of sexual relations based on a deceitful promise of marriage, the victim’s testimony is crucial to establishing how the alleged deception affected her consent. As the complainant failed to substantiate the allegations of deception or sexual assault, the prosecution’s case could not be sustained.

Concurring with the defence’s arguments, the court concluded that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond the required standard and acquitted the accused.