Section 81 of BNS : Section 81: Cohabitation caused by man deceitfully inducing belief of lawful marriage.

Explanation using Example

Example 1:

Ravi, a 30-year-old man, meets Priya, a 28-year-old woman, through a mutual friend. Ravi tells Priya that he is single and interested in a serious relationship. Over time, Ravi convinces Priya that they should get married. He arranges a fake wedding ceremony with actors posing as priests and witnesses. Priya, believing she is lawfully married to Ravi, moves in with him and they start living together as husband and wife. After a few months, Priya discovers that the marriage was never legally registered and that Ravi had deceived her. Under Section 81 of The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Ravi can be punished with imprisonment for up to ten years and may also be liable to pay a fine for deceitfully inducing Priya to believe they were lawfully married and cohabiting with her under that false belief.

Example 2:

Amit, a 35-year-old businessman, meets Sunita, a 32-year-old woman, at a social event. Amit tells Sunita that he is a widower and looking to remarry. He proposes to Sunita and they have a grand wedding ceremony. Amit shows Sunita fake marriage registration documents to convince her that their marriage is legally valid. Sunita, believing she is Amit's lawful wife, moves into his house and they start living together. After a year, Sunita finds out that Amit's previous wife is still alive and that their marriage was never legally dissolved. Amit had lied about being a widower and had never legally married Sunita. Under Section 81 of The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Amit can be punished with imprisonment for up to ten years and may also be liable to pay a fine for deceitfully inducing Sunita to believe they were lawfully married and cohabiting with her under that false belief.