A youth has been acquitted by a Delhi court of the charge of raping a 19-year-old girl on the pretext of marrying her as she deposed that physical relations between them were consensual.

The court acquitted the Delhi resident, saying the girl and her father turned hostile and she denied that the youth had refused to marry her in 2012.

It also noted that the girl had deposed in her testimony that she has now married the youth."...from the statement of the prosecutrix and her father it is proved that the girl was more than 16 years of age at the time of incident and that she had made relations with the accused with her own willingness and further there was no false promise of marriage from the accused' side," Additional Sessions Judge Renu Bhatnagar said.

While acquitting the youth, the court also noted that the girl was in a relationship with him and their marriage was fixed by her parents and he established physical relations with her many times with her consent.

The girl had filed a complaint with Sangam Vihar Police Station here that the youth, who was brother-in-law of her sister, established physical relations with her on the pretext of marriage.

However, later he refused to marry her after which she lodged the complaint against him.

Court had framed rape charge against the youth to which he had pleaded not guilty and claimed trial.

The judge noted that in her cross examination in the court, the girl denied that she made any statement to the police that the youth has refused to marry her in 2012.

The girl claimed before the court that her elder sister was against her marriage with the youth and on August 7, 2012, she took her to the police station where her statement was recorded at the instance of her sister.