Delhi court orders FIR against son of Max Group founder for allegedly performing sham marriage with woman

A Delhi court on Monday ordered the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against Veer Singh, son of Founder and Chairman of the Max Group conglomerate Analjit Singh, for performing an alleged sham marriage ceremony with a woman to induce her to establish sexual relations with him [Ms A v. State of NCT of Delhi]. .Special Judge Arul Verma of the Saket Court set aside an order of the metropolitan magistrate while stating that such an affront to a woman’s dignity cannot be brushed under the carpet. “To ignore the above narrated alleged conduct of the respondent, would be akin to giving a license to licentious men to break the law, and exploit autonomy of a woman with brazen impunity,” the judge said. .The allegations against Veer Singh are that he disingenuously induced a woman to believe that they were lawfully married in 2018 when they were not. Based on this alleged deceit, he had sexual relations with her and they had a child. The woman submitted that Singh and his relatives orchestrated a Buddhist marriage ceremony in Taiwan with the intention to later disown it. In 2020, he allegedly asked her to pack her bags, leaving her stranded. She also claimed that Singh obstructed her movements and followed and observed her without her consent..Singh’s counsel submitted that as per emails exchanged between the parties, he never intended to marry the woman, and this intention was conveyed to her..The court, on examining the facts, noted that sexual relations were prima facie established based on the misconception of lawful marriage. Further, according to the judge, a perusal of the record revealed that a ceremony was conducted between the parties in Taiwan. Additionally, some post-wedding functions were also organised. “Such a ceremony is bound to induce the revisionist to believe that a lawful marriage was entered into and on this basis she agreed to cohabit and have sexual intercourse with Veer Singh,” the order stated..Relying on certain Facebook posts, the court concluded that the woman was induced to believe that she and Singh were married. .The court also opined that the woman's allegations that she was recorded in her home while changing and breastfeeding her son, required to be probed by the police as they "crossed all bounds of decency and makes a woman feel unsafe in her own abode.".With this, it was observed that the allegations painted a portrait of a hapless woman left in the lurch. Therefore, it was in the interest of justice to investigate the offences alleged, the court said. The court also opined that there was no basis to arraign the other family members of Singh in the case. It clarified that the allegations of conspiracy on the part of Singh's other family members were bereft of any justification at this time. .A copy of the order was directed to be sent to the trial court and Station House Officer concerned to register an FIR within a week. .Advocate Shivani Luthra Lohiya appeared for the woman-revisionist while Advocate Manu Sharma represented Veer Singh. .[Read Order]