Adultery not a Crime, rules Supreme Court

ONI Bureau: The Supreme Court, in an unanimous judgement, quashed the 150-year-old Section 497 (#Adultery) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as unconstitutional.

Adultery can be considered as a ground for Divorce with mutual consent, but it’s not a crime, rules the SC Bench headed by CJI Dipak Misra.

Mere adultery can’t be a crime, unless it attracts the scope of Section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the IPC, said CJI Dipak Mishra while reading the verdict.

Key Highlights of #AdulteryVerdict :

> Husband is not the Master of Wife.
> Woman can’t be asked to think the way Society desires.
> The Legal sovereignty of one sex over another is wrong.
> Section 497 is unconstitutional.
> Adultery can be a ground for divorce, but not a criminal offence.