Judicial Approaches to the Criminalisation of Marital Rape

Abstract

In India, as in different traditional cultures, women have been and still are treated in a number of inhumane ways. They are controlled, prone to assault and abuse and risk rape not only outside but within their own homes. Moreover, marital rape is not considered a crime in India. The article attempts to analyse Indian rape laws and to show that exemption for marital rape does not align with the fundamental principles of justice and equality, which is the basic feature of the Indian Constitution. The article argues that the exemption clause should be repealed, and marital rape be criminalised. The article further discusses the approach of the Indian judiciary towards the issue of criminalisation of marital rape.