Centre appointed Pam Rajput committee has recommended marital rape be considered as an offence, in a report submitted to the Women and Child Development ministry. The suggestion comes in strong contradiction with the government's opinion as the Ministry of Home Affairs informed the Parliament that marital rape cannot be considered an offence because marriage is sacred in India.
The 14-member high level committee, headed by women rights activist and former Panjab University professor Pam Rajput, was set up in May 2013 by Krishna Tirath, the then WCD Minister, to study the status of women in India since 1989. Under current Indian Penal Code provisions, a husband can be charged with raping his wife only if she is below 15 years of age.
WCD Minister Maneka Gandhi had strong opinion on marital rape as a form of violence against women and called it “unacceptable”. “My opinion is that violence against women shouldn't be limited to violence by strangers. Very often a marital rape is not always about a man's need for sex; it is about his need for power and subjugation. In such case, it should be treated with seriousness,” she had said.
The report has also mentioned “cruelty” against the anti dowry act and the rising issues of honour killings and witch hunts.
