In February 2022, the Delhi High Court reserved judgement on a series of Public Interest Litigations (PILs) challenging which exception in Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)?

The correct answer is Marital rape.Key Points

• The PILs challenge the exception clause in Section 375 which excludes marital rape from the definition of rape.
• The challenge is significant as it could lead to the criminalization of marital rape and provide more protection to women against sexual violence within marriage.
• Physical torture, dowry death, and suicide are not exceptions in Section 375, but they are related to crimes against women in India.
• Physical torture and dowry death are often associated with domestic violence and dowry-related crimes, respectively.
• Suicide is not a crime, but it is often linked to mental health issues and social pressures faced by women in India.

Additional Information

• Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code deals with the offence of rape.
• The exception being challenged in the PILs is the exception clause which states that sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape.
• Marital rape refers to any unwanted sexual acts by a spouse or ex-spouse that is committed without the other person's consent.
• Physical torture refers to any act of violence that causes physical harm or injury to a person.
• Dowry death refers to the murder or suicide of a woman who is unable to meet the demands of her husband or his family for a dowry.