Madras high court quashes rape case against former minister M Manikandan – Times of India

CHENNAI: The Madras high court has quashed a rape case against former AIADMK minister M Manikandan. The case was registered based on a complaint from an actor. Justice N Sathish Kumar passed the order as the actor informed the court that she has withdrawn the complaint against Manikandan.
Actor drops rape charge against ex-minister; HC quashes case
A rape case registered against former AIADMK minister M Manikandan, on a complaint from an actor, has been quashed by the Madras high court.
Justice N Sathish Kumar passed the order as the actor informed the court that she had withdrawn the complaint filed against the ex-minister.Chennai
According to Manikandan, his affair with the complainant-actor was a case of ‘relationship between two consenting adults.’
“This is not a case where the so-called victim is a teenaged girl or an illiterate or a rustic woman. She was well-educated and employed in a good position,” Manikandan said.
“The victim was well aware that the petitioner (Manikandan) was a married man and that he had a wife who was walking the earth with flesh and blood. Despite this, if she had proceeded to have sexual relationship with the petitioner, then she cannot allege that she consented for the relationship only on promise of marriage,” he added.
She would have known very well that the petitioner could not marry her when his wife was alive and obtaining divorce was not entirely in his hands. Even if the allegation levelled by the victim is taken at face value, it would not attract offence under Section 375 (rape) of IPC. It would merely amount to sexual intercourse between two consenting adults, he added.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)