Rapist who promised wedlock must be punished: SC

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday held that there can be no compromise in a rape case in the name of promising wedlock.

An apex court bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra said that any compromise promising wedlock between a rape accused and the victim compromises the dignity of the woman.

The court said that such a compromise lacks sensitivity on the part of those promoting a settlement.

Holding that courts cannot take a soft approach on the issue, the bench described as a spectacular error and lack of sensitivity on the part of a lower court which had allowed a rapist to go scot free by accepting an agreement on wedlock.

The order came while accepting the Madhya Pradesh government's plea challenging a lower court's acquitting a man accused of rape.