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Research Paper | Law | Volume 15 Issue 5, May 2026 | Pages: 1186 - 1193 | India
Digital Communication and the Changing Meaning of Consent in Indian Rape Law
Abstract: This paper examines the changing legal understanding of consent in Indian rape law within the context of digital communication and technologically mediated intimate relationships. It discusses how social media platforms, messaging applications, and virtual interactions have altered the way emotional and sexual relationships are formed, creating new legal and evidentiary challenges in rape adjudication. The analysis focuses on the interpretation of consent under Section 63 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, with attention to issues such as online intimacy, false promises, emotional coercion, privacy concerns, electronic evidence, and technological manipulation including deepfakes and fabricated digital records. Judicial developments in India are considered alongside comparative legal perspectives from the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States to assess how different jurisdictions address consent, autonomy, and digital sexual misconduct. The paper highlights the limitations of traditional legal frameworks in responding to modern digital realities and emphasizes the need for clearer legal standards, stronger evidentiary safeguards, privacy protection, judicial training, and a rights-based approach that preserves dignity, bodily autonomy, and fairness in the administration of justice.
Keywords: digital consent, rape law, electronic evidence, sexual autonomy, cyber coercion
How to Cite?: Kiran Kachhawaha, Dr Gawaraja Suthar, "Digital Communication and the Changing Meaning of Consent in Indian Rape Law", Volume 15 Issue 5, May 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1186-1193, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR26514171447, DOI: https://dx.dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR26514171447