Archive · 18 Dec 2025
Tharoor Pushes to Criminalize Marital Rape
Shashi Tharoor, a member of Parliament, has introduced a bill to make marital rape a crime in India.
Currently, the law says that a husband cannot be punished for forcing sex on his wife if she is over 18.
Tharoor says this is unfair and goes against the principles of equality and dignity.
He points out that many women suffer from sexual violence by their husbands and that the law should protect them.
He also mentions that important reports and international agreements support this change.
Some people worry that this law could be misused, but Tharoor says that is not a good reason to deny protection to women who need it.
He believes it is time for India to update its laws and give women the right to say no to unwanted sex, even within marriage.
Shashi Tharoor introduced a private member's bill in the Lok Sabha to criminalize marital rape.
The current law exempts husbands from punishment for non-consensual sex with wives over 18, which Tharoor calls a colonial relic.
The National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) shows that 83% of women who faced sexual violence named their current husband as the perpetrator.
The Justice Verma Committee Report (2013) and international treaties like CEDAW support the removal of the marital rape exception.
Tharoor argues that the law should protect women's rights to dignity, safety, and bodily autonomy, and that the potential for misuse should not prevent this reform.
- Who
- Shashi Tharoor, MP from Thiruvananthapuram
- What
- Introduction of a private member's bill to criminalize marital rape
- When
- During the ongoing session of Parliament
- Where
- Lok Sabha, India
- Why
- To remove the marital rape exception in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and uphold women's rights to dignity, safety, and bodily autonomy
- Author
- Shashi Tharoor
- Bill Introduced In
- Lok Sabha
- Section Addressed
- Section 63 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023
- Committee Recommendation
- Justice Verma Committee Report (2013)
- International Treaty
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
- National Data
- 83% of women aged 18-49 who faced sexual violence named their current husband as the perpetrator (NFHS-5)
