{"id":43587,"date":"2025-02-14T21:31:41","date_gmt":"2025-02-15T02:31:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/india-anger-as-judge-frees-man-accused-of-raping-wife-who-then-died\/14\/02\/2025\/"},"modified":"2025-02-14T21:31:41","modified_gmt":"2025-02-15T02:31:41","slug":"india-anger-as-judge-frees-man-accused-of-raping-wife-who-then-died","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/india-anger-as-judge-frees-man-accused-of-raping-wife-who-then-died\/14\/02\/2025\/","title":{"rendered":"India anger as judge frees man accused of raping wife who then died"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em><strong>Warning: This report contains some disturbing details<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">An Indian court&#8217;s ruling that a man&#8217;s forced &#8220;unnatural sex&#8221; with his wife is not an offence has led to huge outrage and sparked renewed calls for better protections for married women.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The controversial order has also brought back into the spotlight the issue of marital rape in a country which has stubbornly refused to criminalise it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Earlier this week, a high court judge in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh set free a 40-year-old man who was convicted by a trial court in 2019 of rape and unnatural sex with his wife, who died within hours of the alleged assault.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The lower court had also found the man guilty of &#8220;culpable homicide not amounting to murder&#8221;. He was sentenced to &#8220;rigorous imprisonment for 10 years&#8221; on each count, with all the sentences to run concurrently.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But on Monday, the High Court&#8217;s Justice Narendra Kumar Vyas acquitted the man of all charges, saying that since India did not recognise marital rape, the husband could not be considered guilty of non-consensual sex or any non-consensual unnatural sexual act.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The judgement has been met with anger, as activists, lawyers and campaigners renew their calls to criminalise marital rape in India.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;To watch this man walk away is unacceptable. This judgement may be correct legally, but it is ethically and morally abhorrent,&#8221; said lawyer and gender rights activist Sukriti Chauhan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;An order that absolves a man of such a crime, to say it&#8217;s not a crime, is the darkest hour in our legal system,&#8221; she told the BBC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;It has shaken us to the core. This needs to change and change quickly.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-[4] size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Violence against women is rampant in India [Getty Images]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Priyanka Shukla, a lawyer in Chhattisgarh, said a judgement like this &#8220;sends out the message that because you&#8217;re the husband, you have rights. And you can do anything, you can even get away with murder&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">She added that this is not the first time a court has given such a judgement, and there is always anger.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;This time, the outrage is more because it is so gruesome and the woman died.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The court documents make for grim reading.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to the prosecution, the incident took place on the night of 11 December 2017, when the husband, who worked as a driver, &#8220;committed unnatural sex with the victim against her will\u2026 causing her a lot of pain&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">After he left for work, she sought help from his sister and another relative, who took her to hospital where she died a few hours later.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In her statement to the police and her dying declaration to a magistrate, the woman said she became ill &#8220;due to forceful sexual intercourse by her husband&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A dying declaration carries weight in court and legal experts say it is generally enough for conviction, unless contradicted by other evidence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While convicting the man in 2019, the trial court had relied heavily on her dying declaration and the post-mortem report, which stated &#8220;the cause of death was peritonitis and rectal perforation&#8221; &#8211; simply put, severe injuries to her abdomen and rectum.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Justice Vyas, however, saw matters differently \u2013 he questioned the &#8220;sanctity&#8221; of the dying statement, noted that some of the witnesses had retracted their statements and, most importantly, said that marital rape was not an offence in India.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"A doctor is painting a mural with his hand with slogans inside Kolkata Medical College and Hospital campus condemning the rape and murder of a trainee medic at a government-run hospital, in Kolkata, India, on August 19, 2024\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/fZOMmvYzZW93e7kFzQXt0Q--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/53ee2bd15276137bfca24a85b10f8eb6\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-[4] size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>A number of petitions have been filed in recent years seeking to criminalise marital rape [Getty Images]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The lower court&#8217;s conviction was &#8220;a rarest of rare case&#8221;, Ms Shukla said, &#8220;probably because the woman died&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;But what is shocking about the high court order is that there&#8217;s not even one sympathetic comment from the judge.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Considering the nature of the assault, the high court&#8217;s order has come as a shock for many, who believe the judge should not have dismissed the case so lightly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">India is among more than 30 countries &#8211; along with Pakistan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia &#8211; where marital rape is not a criminal offence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A number of petitions have been filed in recent years seeking to strike down Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code, which has been in existence since 1860.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The British colonial-era law mentions several &#8220;exemptions&#8221; &#8211; or situations in which sex is not rape &#8211; and one of them is &#8220;by a man with his own wife&#8221; if she is not under 15 years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Britain outlawed marital rape in 1991 but India, which recently rewrote its criminal code, retained the regressive law in its new statute book.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The idea is rooted in the belief that consent for sex is &#8220;implied&#8221; in marriage and that a wife cannot retract it later. Campaigners say such an argument is untenable in this day and age, and that forced sex is rape, regardless of who does it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But in a country where marriage and family are considered sacrosanct, the issue has polarised opinions and there&#8217;s strong resistance to the idea of criminalising marital rape.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The Indian government, religious leaders and men&#8217;s rights activists have strongly opposed the move.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In October last year, the government told the Supreme Court that criminalisation of marital rape would be &#8220;excessively harsh&#8221;. The federal home ministry said it &#8220;may lead to serious disturbances in the institution of marriage&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Authorities also insist that there are enough laws to protect married women against sexual violence. But campaigners say India cannot hide behind archaic laws to deny women bodily agency.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Students, citizens, and medical professionals are holding placards and shouting slogans in a protest march named 'The Night is also ours' on the 78th Independence Day against the rape and murder of a trainee woman doctor at Government-run R G Kar Medical College &amp; Hospital, in Kolkata, India, on August 15, 2024 \" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"541\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/axFdGcKP5.BdPfnJfJuuEA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MQ--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/d59a16bdaaeff79c6f3ffe89aaf24072\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-[4] size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>[Getty Images]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;A lot of people say the constitution cannot enter your bedroom,&#8221; Ms Chauhan said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;But doesn&#8217;t it grant women &#8211; like all citizens &#8211; fundamental rights to safety and security? What kind of redundant country do we live in that we remain quiet when a woman has to face this level of violence?&#8221; she asks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Violence within marriage is rampant in India.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to <a href=\"https:\/\/dhsprogram.com\/pubs\/pdf\/FR375\/FR375.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:a recent government survey;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">a recent government survey<\/a>, 32% of married women face physical, sexual or emotional violence by their husbands and 82% have experienced sexual violence by their husbands.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">And even that doesn&#8217;t give the true scale of the problem, Ms Shukla said, because a majority of women do not report violence, especially sexual violence, out of shame.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;In my experience, women are not trusted when they complain, everyone says it must be fake. The only time such cases are taken seriously is when a woman dies or the assault is particularly gruesome,&#8221; the lawyer said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Ms Chauhan believes nothing will change until the law changes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;We need to criminalise marital rape. The wife not getting justice after such a gruesome incident deserves a nationwide campaign, which is not born of anger but is serious [and] well thought out.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">She added that the government and men&#8217;s activists try to project it as a &#8220;man versus woman debate&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;But the demand for criminalising marital rape is not against men, but for the safety and wellbeing of women. Is it not important to ensure women&#8217;s safety?&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/india-anger-judge-frees-man-010038106.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Warning: This report contains some disturbing details An Indian court&rsquo;s ruling that a man&rsquo;s forced &ldquo;unnatural sex&rdquo; with his wife is not<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/india-anger-as-judge-frees-man-accused-of-raping-wife-who-then-died\/14\/02\/2025\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43587"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43587"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43587\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}