Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 02:43pm on 14 Nov 2023,Tuesday India
Adultery should be made a crime again as "the institution of marriage is sacred" and must be "protected," a parliamentary panel recommended to the government on Tuesday. In its report on the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita bill, the panel argued the adultery law should treat both genders equally. Its report counters a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that struck down adultery as a crime, saying adultery "can be a ground for a civil offence... for divorce..." but could not be a criminal offence. The court reasoned that the 163-year-old, colonial-era law followed the invalidated concept of "husband is master of the wife." Dissenting Congress MP P Chidambaram said the state has "no business to enter into the lives of a couple." However, the panel wants adultery brought back as a gender-neutral offense, contradicting the SC judgment upholding privacy. [Image Courtesy: VFMI]
