Despite several women being victims of rape, cruelty, and abuse by their husbands, marital rape is still legal in our country. Thereby, people who commit such heinous crimes against their spouses get away with minimal punishment.
In a similar incident, the Chhattisgarh High Court recently discharged a man from facing trial for allegedly raping his wife, reports The Indian Express. The wife accused the husband of “cruelty, abuse and dowry harassment” a few days into marriage.
She also accused her husband of keeping “unnatural physical relations with her” despite her protests including inserting his fingers and a radish into her vagina.
Responding to the allegations, the Chhattisgarh High Court said that even if a man forcefully has sexual intercourse with his wife, against her consent, even then it cannot be regarded as rape.
“Sexual intercourse or sexual act by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape. In this case, complainant is legally wedded wife of applicant No. 1, therefore, sexual intercourse or any sexual act with her by the applicant No. 1/husband would not constitute an offence of rape, even if it was by force or against her wish.”
However, the court sustained the charges under Section 377 and said that unnatural sexual satisfaction by repeatedly inserting foreign objects inside the woman’s sex organ would constitute as a “carnal intercourse against the order of nature”.
This judgement has caused massive outrage online. Several celebrities including Taapsee Pannu, Parineeti Chopra, and others raised their voice against the incident.
Bas ab yehi sunna baaki tha . https://t.co/K2ynAG5iP6
— taapsee pannu (@taapsee) August 26, 2021
Unbelievable https://t.co/FN4QyYXthW
— Tahira Kashyap Khurrana (@tahira_k) August 27, 2021
Oh and men get to decide this. Or to make it a “law”. Shocking. https://t.co/NB3RNleIMM
— Parineeti Chopra (@ParineetiChopra) August 27, 2021
Shocking!! https://t.co/dVcXILc9cU
— Kriti MIMI Sanon (@kritisanon) August 27, 2021
Ohhhh! So it’s not rape.. Slow claps ? ? https://t.co/IcUHjSis62
— Himanshi khurana (@realhimanshi) August 27, 2021
The sickness I feel reading this #India , is beyond anything I can write here. ??? https://t.co/uUm7l9bzxM
— Sona Mohapatra (@sonamohapatra) August 26, 2021
Dear @INCChhattisgarh @ChhattisgarhCMO this is a shameful statement made by the court on Bilaspur@MahilaCongress @dnetta u need to speak for the women in Bilaspur. https://t.co/wZHObWMBm4
— Ria (@RiaRevealed) August 27, 2021
SICK. https://t.co/YaH4C2Mpja
— Aneesha Bedi (@AneeshaBedi) August 26, 2021
Why women don't report violence perpetrated by men: hostile legal systems. https://t.co/EVicGyB1r6
— Neha Banka 네하 방카 (@nehabnk) August 26, 2021
What are your views on the Chhattisgarh High Court’s judgement? Tell us.