Bombay HC Nagpur bench rejects anticipatory bail plea of Prajwal Mate in false marriage promise case
The court said the available chats did not show that the accused intended to marry the woman, and held that it was not a fit case for anticipatory bail.
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The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has rejected the anticipatory bail application of accused Prajwal Rajkumar Mate. He is alleged to have had a physical relationship with a woman on the promise of marriage. Justice M. M. Nerlikar passed the order on October 14, 2026, in Criminal Application No. 806/2026.
The case is registered at Sitabuldi police station in Nagpur under crime number 534/2026. It has been booked under Sections 64(2)(m) and 69 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Advocates Sumit Sunil Bokade and Deepak Khandait appeared for the victim. Senior advocate Akshay Naik and advocate K. S. Motwani argued for the accused. Public prosecutor S. N. Thakur appeared for the state government.
According to the court's order, the accused and the victim got to know each other through Instagram. The victim says the accused promised to marry her and that she entered the relationship on the strength of that promise. The order records that the relationship is alleged to have taken place about 20 to 25 times. When the accused later began to evade the question of marriage, the victim consumed a poisonous substance. She survived after treatment and told her family everything.
During the hearing on the anticipatory bail plea, the accused argued that the relationship was consensual and that he intended to marry her. The prosecution and the victim opposed the application. The court examined the chats, the FIR and other records.
In its observation, the court said the available chats did not show that the accused intended to marry the victim. According to the court, the essential elements of Section 69 of the BNS appeared to be met in allegations of cheating by a false promise of marriage. The court therefore held that this was not a fit case for anticipatory bail and rejected the application.
Although the anticipatory bail plea has been rejected, the final decision in the case will be taken only in further legal proceedings.
