The NGO said the issue affected a large number of men who were "vulnerable" in getting victimised at the hands of women who file "false" rape and domestic violence cases.
An NGO representing men victimised by misuse of gender laws has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court (HC), opposing several petitions that seek making marital rape a criminal offence.
A Bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar allowed the intervention application by the NGO, Men Welfare Trust, and said it will be heard on Tuesday. The court was hearing petitions seeking declaration of Section 375 (offence of rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as unconstitutional on the ground that it discriminated against married women being sexually assaulted by their husbands.
The NGO said the issue affected a large number of men who were "vulnerable" in getting victimised at the hands of women who file "false" rape and domestic violence cases.
"The applicant (NGO) wishes to argue that the existing laws are very much capable of dealing with cases of sexual abuse of women and there is no need to either bring a fresh law to deal with it or to withdraw the protection granted to husbands provided under Section 375 of the IPC," the plea, filed by NGO's President Amit Lakhani and Vice-President Ritwik Bisaria, stated.
It further claimed that when a person gets married, he or she gives consent to the spouse to have sex and any such sexual act cannot be termed rape.
"A comparison between the marriages solemnised in the Indian and the Western societies makes it clear that in the Indian society, marriage is considered a sacred relationship, with an aim to procreate and lead a happy life.
Marriages in the Western world are considered to be a contract between the husband and the wife. Accordingly, the concept of marital rape cannot apply in the Indian context. If there is an abuse of sexual nature, Indian laws have already provided a remedy to deal with it," the plea said.
Citing the statistics of the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), the plea stated that 62,000 married men committed suicide every year, which was more than double the suicides by women, with domestic including martial issues being the single largest reason.Earlier, the Centre had defended its legislation, saying child marriages were taking place in India and the decision to retain a girl's minimum age as 15 years to marry was taken under the amended rape law to protect a couple against criminalisation of their sexual activity.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "law")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}