An Indian court's recent decision to acquit a man of raping his wife, who tragically died following the assault, has caused a storm of outrage across the nation. The judgment, which states that forced sexual acts within marriage are not legally punishable, has reignited the debate over the absence of laws criminalizing marital rape in the country.
The case dates back to 2017, when the man was found guilty by a lower court of both rape and culpable homicide, receiving a ten-year prison sentence. However, the High Court in Chhattisgarh determined that, under current laws, marital rape is not recognized as a crime, leading to the man's release. This assertion has been met with fierce criticism from activists and legal experts who argue that it perpetuates violence against women.
Prominent lawyer Sukriti Chauhan voiced her distress, stating that the judgment undermines the severity of non-consensual acts within marriage. The incident adds to a pattern of similar legal decisions that dismiss the gravity of domestic violence and sexual assault faced by women in India.
Despite petitions urging a revision of the law, the Indian government has resisted efforts to criminalize marital rape. Critics argue that this outdated legal perspective fails to protect women's rights and violates their bodily autonomy, sparking a wider movement to address sexual violence in all forms.
With statistics revealing significant rates of violence against married women—one in three experiences some form of abuse—activists stress the urgency of reforming these laws to ensure justice and safety for all. The necessity of such changes is echoed by many, who call for a reevaluation of societal norms that still allow for such violence to exist unpunished.
