Pleas Challenging Marital Rape Exception : Live Updates From Supreme Court

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17 Oct 2024 12:25 PM IST

  • Pleas Challenging Marital Rape Exception : Live Updates From Supreme Court
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    The Supreme Court is hearing today a batch of petitions seeking the criminalisation of marital rape.

    The petitioners challenge the constitutional validity of the exception of Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code which hold that sexual intercourse between a husband and wife will not come within the ambit of the offence of rape. The same provision is found in Section 63 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which is the replacement of S.375 IPC. Some petitions challenge the BNS provision too.

    A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra is hearing the matter.

    The Union in its recent affidavit opposed the Court criminalising marital rape. The Union stated that alternative remedies in law already exist to protect married women against sexual violence and attracting the offence of "rape" to the institution of marriage may be "excessively harsh" and disproportionate.

    Follow this thread for live-updates.

    Live Updates

    • 17 Oct 2024 12:49 PM IST

      CJI notes that the only difference between the s.63 BNS ans s.375 IPC is that under the exception no.2 - age of 15 years is now 18 years

    • 17 Oct 2024 12:47 PM IST

      Nandy : Explanation 2 - in this jurisdiction yes means yes

      Explanation 2.—Consent means an unequivocal voluntary agreement when the woman by words, gestures or any form of verbal or non-verbal communication, communicates willingness to participate in the specific sexual act:

    • 17 Oct 2024 12:46 PM IST

      Nandy : sections a-d are actions if done without her consent which will constitute rape

    • 17 Oct 2024 12:46 PM IST

      Nandy reads S.63 BNS

      A man is said to commit “rape” if he—

      (a) penetrates his penis, to any extent, into the vagina, mouth, urethra or anus of a woman or makes her to do so with him or any other person; or

      (b) inserts, to any extent, any object or a part of the body, not being the penis, into the vagina, the urethra or anus of a woman or makes her to do so with him or any other person; or

      (c) manipulates any part of the body of a woman so as to cause penetration into the vagina, urethra, anus or any part of body of such woman or makes her to do so with him or any other person; or

      (d) applies his mouth to the vagina, anus, urethra of a woman or makes her to do so with him or any other person, under the circumstances falling under any of the following seven descriptions:—

      (i) against her will;

      (ii) without her consent;

      (iii) with her consent, when her consent has been obtained by putting her or any person in whom she is interested, in fear of death or of hurt;

      (iv) with her consent, when the man knows that he is not her husband and that her consent is given because she believes that he is another man to whom she is or believes herself to be lawfully married;

      (v) with her consent when, at the time of giving such consent, by reason of unsoundness of mind or intoxication or the administration by him personally or through another of any stupefying or unwholesome substance, she is unable to understand the nature and consequences of that to which she gives consent;

      (vi) with or without her consent, when she is under eighteen years of age;

      (vii) when she is unable to communicate consent.

    • 17 Oct 2024 12:43 PM IST

      Exception 2 of Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code (now Section 63 of BNS) states : "Sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape"

    • 17 Oct 2024 12:43 PM IST

      Nandy : is parimateria of exception under S.63 BNS

    • 17 Oct 2024 12:42 PM IST

      Nandy: the matter arose when the AIDWA went to Delhi HC, I was leading the arguments in HC also...here we challenged S.375 exception 2 of IPC

    • 17 Oct 2024 12:41 PM IST

      Sr Adv Karuna Nandy opens the arguments

    • 17 Oct 2024 12:40 PM IST

      CJI: 8.1 and 8.6 are the two WPs (challenging the penal provisions )

    • 17 Oct 2024 12:39 PM IST

      CJI: who will open the arguments?

      Karuna Nandy : Iam in 3 matters

      Gopal S: my brief is ready 

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