Supreme Court: Appellant Discharged in Rape and Fraud Case

The Supreme Court, by a bench comprising Hon’ble Mrs. Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Hon’ble Mr. Justice R. Mahadevan, discharged the appellant, Santhosh Kumar N.P, in the criminal proceedings that alleged offences under IPC sections 376, 420, 493, 494 and 495. The Court allowed the appeals, set aside the orders of the High Court and the trial court, and directed that the appellant be released from all charges.

From 1996 to 2003 the appellant and the second respondent lived together after a temple ceremony, a relationship that the respondent later described as fraudulent and non‑consensual. In 2011 the respondent filed complaints alleging rape, cheating and related offences, leading to FIR No.503/2011 and subsequent trial and appellate orders. The central issue before the Supreme Court was whether the material placed before the lower courts disclosed a prima facie case sufficient to continue prosecution under the cited IPC provisions.

The Court applied the principles articulated in Prafulla Kumar Samal and Sajjan Kumar, observing that the cohabitation was consensual, that the allegations of deception, fraud and property acquisition were not proved, and that no valid marriage or transfer of assets existed. Consequently, the probability of any of the alleged offences was deemed non‑existent, justifying discharge under Section 227 of the CrPC. Accordingly, the appeals were allowed, the earlier judgments were set aside, and the appellant was discharged of all charges.

Read the judgment and its head note on DLJ: Santhosh Kumar N.P vs State-Station House Officer (2026 INSC 1179).