Victim cannot be blamed for sexual assault because she had cordial relations with accused: Delhi High Court

Published on : 07 Oct 2025, 12:14 pm 2 min read

The Delhi High Court recently set aside observations made in a sessions court order which cast doubt on the character of a sexual assault victim while granting the accused bail [X v. State Govt NCT of Delhi And Another & Anr].

Justice Amit Mahajan held that a woman does not become responsible for sexual assault merely because she had cordial relations with the accused.

“The trauma of the victim, in the opinion of this Court, ought not to have been trivialised by such observations. Only because the victim had known the accused or that she was in cordial relations with him, will not make her responsible for the sexual assault. Concededly, no person has right to sexually assault the victim for the reason that she voluntarily came