Delhi High Court reserves verdict on petitions seeking to criminalise marital rape

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 21

The Delhi High Court on Monday reserved its verdict on petitions seeking criminalisation of marital rape even as the Centre said it could spell out its stand on the contentious issue only after consultation with states and other stakeholders.

A Bench led by Justice Rajiv Shakdher refused to grant further time to the Centre to make its stand clear on the issue.

Stating that a communication had been sent to all states and other stakeholders seeking their views and suggestions on the matter, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta requested the Bench to adjourn the matter until such time the necessary inputs were received.

The Centre maintained that criminalising marital rape has very far-reaching socio-legal implications and a meaningful consultative process with various stakeholders, including the state governments was needed.

The Bench, which had on February 7 given seven weeks to the Centre, went on to reserve its verdict, saying it was not possible to adjourn an ongoing matter as there was no definite date by when the consultations would be over.

The court can’t fold its hands and sit when people complain about a particular law, it had said during the hearing on petitions filed by the RIT Foundation and three others seeking to criminalise marital rape,

The petitioners have challenged the validity of an exception 2 to section 375 of the IPC on the ground that it discriminated against women raped by their husbands.

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