PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has quashed rape and child sexual abuse proceedings against a 23-year-old man, directing him, the woman and her mother to jointly pay Rs 3 lakh to the Goa High Court Bar Association within a week.
The woman’s mother had filed a complaint on March 3, 2023, alleging that the man had a physical relationship with her daughter at a hotel in Porvorim. The woman was a minor at the time, while the man was 21. Police subsequently registered an FIR and filed a chargesheet.
The man sought quashing of the proceedings, stating that the relationship was consensual and that the woman and her mother had agreed to end the case. The State opposed the plea, arguing that the alleged offence was against society and the woman’s consent was legally invalid as she was a minor.
The court noted that the woman was pursuing her third-year MBBS course in Pune and that the available evidence appeared inadequate to secure a conviction.
The quashing order will take effect only after payment of the costs, earmarked for lawyers’ training programmes and related expenses.
