There cannot be ‘perfect rape’ and ‘awful rape’; there can’t be gradations based on the connection between the victim and the perpetrator. Read Criminalizing Marital Masked Rape Under Section 375. Introduction – Marital Masked Rape “The reason men do not want to forbid marital rape is that of the truth they don’t need to offer the woman the strength… Read More »

There cannot be ‘perfect rape’ and ‘awful rape’; there can’t be gradations based on the connection between the victim and the perpetrator. Read Criminalizing Marital Masked Rape Under Section 375.

Introduction – Marital Masked Rape

“The reason men do not want to forbid marital rape is that of the truth they don’t need to offer the woman the strength to mention no”. [1]

However, will there be yardsticks to define rape – rape of a single lady or that of a married girl? Is it applicable to discriminate a female simply due to the truth that she is married to the person that raped her?

Within the cutting edge-day, studies recommend that among 10 and 14% of married women are raped through their husbands: the incidents of marital rape soars to at least 1/3rd to ½ among clinical samples of battered ladies. Sexual abuse with one’s accomplice is approximately 25% of total rapes. Women might not be particularly distressed closer to any attack on their honour, especially closer to rape, enforced prostitution, or any form of indecent assault.[2] Extra than 80% per cent of married ladies who’ve experienced sexual violence named their husband or their family as a culprit.[3]

Marriage created conjugal rights between spouses, and marriage could not be annulled except through manner of an Act of Parliament—it, therefore, follows that an associate couldn’t revoke conjugal rights from the marriage, and consequently there can be no rape among spouses.[4]

Present Scenario

In present context section 375 of Indian Penal Code, 1860 defines rape underneath it in 2nd exception it is explicitly pointed out that sexual intercourse by a person with his personal partner, the companion now not being under the age of fifteen years of age is not rape. It is very actually said that marital rape is not an offense in the territory of India. The criminal law has exempted rape by husband after marriage. Section 376 states the punishment of rape nowhere factor out marital rape. The exception is “unconstitutional and violates of the right to Equality confident to married ladies under Article 14 of the constitution.

Justice Verma Committee report on amendments to crook regulation dated January 23, 2013, encouraged the marital need to be criminalized. Marriages need to now not be considered as implicit consent to sexual activity. The criminal law (amendment) act 2013 came in 3rd February 2013 which has brought much trouble in phase 375 and 376 of IPC, however, the exception of marital rape from the definition of rape was left untouched.

Criminal modifications We need

Segment 375 of the Indian Penal Code defines the Offense of Rape. The most problematic is the exception of 2nd. Sexual intercourse or sexual acts through a person along with his spouse, the wife no longer being below fifteen years of age, is not rape.

There is an urgent want to dismantle marriage as an exception to rape to make certain that ladies have equal say over their bodies and the autonomy to determine their sexual interactions, irrespective of such interactions being interior or outside marriage. The amendments embody —

Removal of the Exception below section 375 IPC

A separate subsection 375A wants to be added on the following strains;

“Whoever, being in a conjugal relationship, physical or forcible has sexual intercourse with their accomplice and/or indulges in acts of sadistic sexual violence on their partner, without the legitimate consent of their companion, will be held answerable for marital rape and can be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall no longer be much less than ten years, however, which can also additionally furthermore increase to imprisonment for life;

  • Lack of physical objection from the associate, specific or honestly implied, shall now not be considered as consent for sexual intercourse;
  • Furnished that preceding sexual sex shall now not automatically be considered as to have been implied consent for the alleged act.
  • Moreover supplied that mere proof of sexual intercourse shall no longer prove the act of marital rape until the absence of consent can be set up.
  • And that the fact that the accused and the victim are married need to now not be dealt with as a mitigating detail for justifying a lighter sentence to the accused.”

Arguments Against Criminalizing the Marital rape

How are you going to expose that the act comes to be non-consensual using DNA samples as evidence? The answer is in the judgment of the Supreme Court in Sheik Zakir v. State of Bihar[5] case, wherein it ruled that the absence of a scientific report may not be of a good buy end result if the opposite evidence on file is possible.

Conclusion

In India, there is a pretty idea of male dominating society because of which were lacking in provision. Likely, society is equating rape with the virginity of girls. Many jurists exclaimed that marriage is a way to give the virginity of girls to the husband.

In marital case ladies already loses her virginity with the husband so, thereafter forceful sex with ladies cannot be bear in mind as rape due to the fact that the virginity of women had already taken via her husband. It’s miles even greater stressful for a woman to live with an assailant each day. There cannot be ‘perfect rape’ and ‘awful rape’; there can’t be gradations based on the connection between the victim and the perpetrator.


[1] ICRW (International Centre for Research on Women)

[2] Fourth Geneva Convention

[3] National Family Health Survey 2018.

[4] East’s Treatise of the Pleas of the Crown in 1803

[5] Sheik Zakir v. State of Bihar 1983 SCR (2) 312.


  1. Law Library: Notes and Study Material for LLB, LLM, Judiciary and Entrance Exams
  2. Legal Bites Academy – Ultimate Test Prep Destination
Updated On 30 April 2021 2:31 AM GMT
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