AGARTALA, India, June 15 -- Tripura High Court issued the following order/judgement on May 13:

1. Heard Mr. K. Nath, learned counsel appearing for the appellant. Also heard Mr. Raju Datta, learned Public Prosecutor appearing for the respondent-State.

2. The appellant, by means of filing the present appeal have challenged the judgment and order of conviction and sentence dated 31.01.2025, passed by the learned Additional Sessions Judge, South Tripura, Belonia, in connection with case No. S.T.(Type-1) 11 of 2023, whereby the appellant had been convicted under Section 376(1) IPC, and sentenced to suffer rigorous imprisonment for 10(ten) years and also to pay a fine of Rs.1,00,000/- with default stipulation under Section 376(1) IPC.

3. The case of prosecution, in brief, is that, the complainant-victim lodged a written complaint with the Officerin-Charge of Santirbazaar police station on 23.08.2022, alleging inter alia that during the year 2013, the complainant-victim became acquainted with the appellant and upon such acquaintance, the appellant on proposal of love brought her to his house in the last part of September, 2017, wherein the appellant after closing the door committed rape upon the complainant-victim against her will, and when she started crying, the appellant promised to marry her and accordingly on 22.01.2018, their marriage was solemnized in the residence of the complainant, following a joint declaration notorized on 31.01.2018. In the written complaint it was further alleged that after the marriage, the appellant left the complainant-victim in her paternal residence with an assurance that he will marry her socially and will take her to his residence after informing the matter to his parents and accordingly after informing their relation to the parents of the appellant, the appellant again visited her house and assured that their re-marriage ceremony will be solemnized in a grand manner by the year 2020 and in the meantime there built a visiting terms in both the houses. It was further alleged that by virtue of that, both the appellant and the complainant-victim started to visit each other's house frequently thereby started to live as husband and wife and taking the advantage of recognition of their social marriage, the appellant had been making physical relationship with the complainant-victim.

*Rest of the document can be viewed at: (https://hcservices.ecourts.gov.in/ecourtindiaHC/cases/display_pdf.php?filename=A9S7c5LDIsB6RXaCf816xw7yvZOhe6JO5T3luVCpHvg8FyD1bZ4V5ukS3IY5l2JD&caseno=Crl.A(J)/16/2025&cCode=1&cino=TRHC010003112025&state_code=20&appFlag=)

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