The Delhi High Court has stayed the trial against Rohit Sehrawat in a case arising from allegations of a false promise of marriage after noting a significant issue raised by the petitioner. The Court observed that, prima facie, it was doubtful whether a complainant could have acted on promises of marriage allegedly made by two different individuals during the same period.
Justice Prateek Jalan clarified that the observation was only for deciding the interim application and directed that the Sessions Court proceedings remain stayed until further orders.
Background of the Case
The petition was filed by Rohit Sehrawat seeking a stay of further proceedings arising from FIR No. 489/2025 registered at Pahar Ganj Police Station, Delhi. The case is pending before the Sessions Court, where arguments on framing of charges had already commenced. The petitioner argued that the criminal proceedings should be paused until the High Court decides his petition challenging the FIR.
Senior Advocate Nandita Rao, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that the complaint was motivated and pointed to three earlier complaints filed by the same complainant against different individuals between 2024 and 2025. According to the record placed before the Court, two of those matters ended in closure reports while another concluded through a settlement.
The petitioner also relied on an earlier statement allegedly made by the complainant in November 2023, in which she had stated that the relationship with the petitioner had ended in 2022 and that she would not pursue any complaint against him. The present FIR, however, was lodged in August 2025.
Court's Observations
Justice Prateek Jalan noted that, at the interim stage, the Court was not deciding the merits of the allegations but examining whether the petitioner had made out a case for interim relief.
The Court took note of the submission that another complaint filed by the same complainant involved allegations of a similar nature covering substantially the same period.
Referring to this aspect, the Court observed,
“Prima facie, where allegations of this nature are made against two persons in respect of a sexual relationship which covers the same period, it raises a doubt as to whether the complainant could have been acting on the basis of the promise of marriage made by two different individuals.”
The High Court also referred to recent Supreme Court judgments explaining that every relationship which ends unsuccessfully does not automatically amount to an offence based on a false promise of marriage. The Court reproduced the Supreme Court's reasoning that such cases require proof that the promise to marry was false from the very beginning and that the consent for the relationship was obtained solely because of that false promise.
Court's Decision
After considering the submissions and the material placed on record, the Delhi High Court directed that the proceedings before the Sessions Court shall remain stayed until further orders in the pending petition.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on 5 October 2026, when the main petition and the interim application will be taken up together.
Case Details
Case Title: Rohit Sehrawat v. State of NCT of Delhi and Another
Case Number: CRL.M.C. 1977/2026
Judge: Justice Prateek Jalan
Decision Date: 13 July 2026
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