'Consent Amongst Most Underrated Concepts In Our Society': Rahul Gandhi On Marital Rape

Taking to Twitter, Rahul Gandhi said, "Consent is amongst the most underrated concepts in our society. It has to be foregrounded to ensure safety for women. #MaritalRape."

Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi. (Getty Images)

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court is now examining a slew of petitions regarding the criminalization of spousal rape. In this regard, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday tweeted that consent is "among the most underrated concepts in our society" and that it must be "foregrounded to ensure the safety" of women.

While there is an increasing demand for the criminalization of violent sexual intercourse by a man on his wife, the Centre on Thursday submitted an application to the Delhi High Court indicating that a consultation process on proposed criminal code modifications is underway.

Taking to Twitter, Rahul Gandhi said, "Consent is amongst the most underrated concepts in our society. It has to be foregrounded to ensure safety for women. #MaritalRape."

Consent is amongst the most underrated concepts in our society.

It has to be foregrounded to ensure safety for women. #MaritalRape

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 16, 2022

The declaration from the Congress leader came after Justice C Hari Shankar, who was part of the division bench considering a bundle of petitions seeking to criminalise marital rape, stated orally that a non-marital connection, no matter how intimate, and a married one cannot be "parallelised."

The Centre advised the court that marital rape cannot be designated a criminal offence until all parties have been consulted. "Principles of natural justice need a more thorough hearing of all parties," the administration stated.

The Centre had previously stated in an affidavit submitted in the case that marital rape should not be declared a criminal crime because it may "destabilise the institution of marriage and become an easy weapon for harassing husbands."

The Delhi High Court is hearing several petitions contesting the provision to Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code, which exempts a man's violent sexual intercourse with his wife from the crime of rape if the bride is beyond the age of 15.

Among the petitioners are the RIT Foundation, the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), and a marital rape survivor.