The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the central government to file a response on a PIL seeking to declare a provision in the penal law unconstitutional as it discriminates against married women who are sexually assaulted by their own husbands.
A division bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath issued a notice to the government, seeking a response by March 23.
The PIL filed by NGO RIT Foundation challenged IPC section 375, saying it does not consider forced sexual intercourse of a man with his wife as rape.
The court had last July disposed-off the plea on the ground that the Supreme Court was already seized with the issue, but on Monday the bench agreed to examine the issue after it was told that the ground raised in this case was different from the plea pending before the apex court.
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