CHENNAI: Former AIADMK minister M Manikandan, who was arrested on charges of rape, on Thursday sought bail from the Madras High Court. In his plea, he asserted that the victim, a Malaysian national, wasn’t a “rustic illiterate” not to know the consequences of having a sexual relationship with a married man. Manikandan also pointed to a recent Supreme Court judgment saying, “....making a false promise to marry is wrong. But that does not mean, in a prolonged relationship sexual intercourse would be categorised as rape.”
The petitioner added that even having a sexual relationship on the promise of marrying the woman after divorcing his wife would not amount to rape.
He said the abortion was carried out only after it was agreed that he would marry complainant and have a child after divorcing his wife. The petitioner said Section 375 of IPC wouldn’t be applicable here as it amounts to sexual intercourse between two consenting adults, and added that all the complainant’s allegations are false.