Mumbai man gets bail in rape case. Reason: ‘Live-in relationship agreement’

A 46-year-old man was granted pre-arrest bail from a Mumbai court in a rape case filed by his partner after producing a “live-in relationship agreement” that stipulated neither party would file sexual harassment claims against the other. He was granted bail on August 29.
NDTV reported that the woman, who works as an elderly caregiver, and the accused, a government employee, are now under scrutiny by the police, who are verifying the authenticity of the relationship agreement. The woman has alleged that the accused, who had promised to marry her, raped her multiple times while they were living together.
The lawyer representing the accused has labelled the case as fraudulent. “The applicant has been falsely accused. He is a victim of circumstances. They were in a live-in relationship. The agreement shows that both parties had consented to the relationship. The agreement was created, and the woman signed it. The document indicates mutual consent,” Sunil Pandey, the man’s lawyer was quoted as saying.
However, the 29-year-old woman who has taken him to court claims that the signature on the document is not hers. The report further quoted the police as saying that they are in the process of verifying the authenticity of the alleged relationship agreement.