A hunger strike was held in Pune by activists fighting for men's rights against the marital rape public interest petition filed in the Supreme Court in Pune outside the District Collectorate.
During the protest, the men gathered and performed aarti of the photo of Twitter CEO Elon Musk outside the District Collectorate. "We get blamed and women lodge fake complaints against us but Twitter is the only place where we can express ourselves freely, so we worship and thank Elon Musk," claimed one volunteer of the organisation.
The protest is organised by Save Indian Family Foundation.
The men's rights activists of the Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF) are holding a nationwide protest against the Marital Rape plea filed in the Supreme Court of India. Activists of SIFF today protested to create awareness against fake marital rape cases. They are holding a hunger strike in Pune on March 25 and 26 at Ambedkar Statue.
They are demanding gender-neutral laws and protection for male victims of domestic violence.
Marital Rape pleas
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will hear on May 9 a clutch of pleas in connection with the criminalisation of marital rape.
The top court decided to take up the matter itself instead of letting different high courts take a call.
In May last year, after the Delhi High Court's verdict that expressed 'split views' on the criminalisation of marital rape, an appeal was moved in the Supreme Court challenging the exception to Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code.
Various petitions were filed in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the exception to marital rape issue.
One petition is against the Karnataka HC judgement, which declined to quash the charge of rape against a man accused of raping and keeping his wife as a sex slave.
Another petition has sought the striking down Exception 2 to Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code, which immunes the husband of criminal charges for non-consent sex with his wife in a marital relationship. The petition was filed by one activist Ruth Manorama through the advocate on record Ruchira Goel.
Exception 2 to Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code, which defines rape, states that sexual intercourse by a man with his wife is not rape unless the wife is below 15 years of age.
Earlier All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) among others moved the Supreme Court against Delhi High Court's split verdict on issues relating to criminalising marital rape matters.
Two judges Bench of Delhi HC on May 12 2022 pronounced a split verdict on an issue relating to criminalising marital rape. Delhi HC's Judge Justice Rajiv Shakdher ruled in favour of criminalising while Justice Hari Shankar disagreed with the opinion and held that Exception 2 to Section 375 does not violate the Constitution as it is based on intelligible differences.
AIDWA was represented by advocate Karuna Nundy and the plea was filed through advocate Rahul Narayan.
AIDWA, in its plea, said that the exception allowed to marital rape is destructive and in opposition to the object of rape laws, which clearly ban sexual activity sans consent. It places the privacy of a marriage on a pedestal above the rights of the woman in the marriage.
The petition said that Marital Rape Exception is in violation of Articles 14, 19(1)(a) and 21 of the Constitution.
(With agency inputs)
