Chhattisgarh High Court Acquits Man on Controversial Marital Rape Charges

The Chhattisgarh High Court acquitted a man charged with rape, unnatural sex, and culpable homicide, ruling that sexual acts by a husband with his wife, even without consent, are not offenses under IPC Sections 376 and 377. The man's conviction under Section 304 was also dismissed as perverse.

The Chhattisgarh High Court has ruled that a man cannot be convicted of rape or unnatural sex for acts with his wife, regardless of consent, under Indian Penal Code Sections 376 and 377. The decision led to the acquittal of a Jagdalpur resident previously charged with these offenses.

The case, stemming from the 2017 arrest of the man following his wife's death, was centered on a trial court's earlier conviction. The trial court had sentenced the man to ten years in prison for rape, unnatural sex, and culpable homicide.

The High Court, however, found no legal ground for such convictions, stating that the charges were baseless in view of the current legal definitions. The woman's alleged suffering from medical conditions unrelated to the charges was also considered significant in this decision.