
Delhi HC pushes Centre to finalise stance on marital rape in two weeks
The High Court of Delhi postponed day-to-day hearings into the topic of "marital rape" for two weeks on Monday, stating that it expected the Centre to finalise its position by then.
Justice Rajiv Shakdher told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that “As a constitutional court, it is our job to decide a petition that comes before us. We don’t know which way it will go....but as a court, it doesn’t gel with us that we keep the matter pending, we have to take a decision".
Mehta previously stated that criminalising marital rape, which is a sensitive socio-legal issue, requires a "holistic look," and defended the Centre's affidavit's plea to postpone further hearings due to the ongoing consultative process.
According to the SG, the government was neither for nor against repealing the exemption afforded to husbands under the IPC.