Illustrations: Deeksha Malhotra
Scriptwriters: Mythreyee Ramesh and Shelly Walia
The Delhi High Court on 11 May, delivered a split verdict in the marital rape exception case with both judges on the two-judge division bench arriving at different conclusions. Exception 2 of the Indian Penal Code's Section 375 makes non-consensual sex by husband with his wife not a crime.
Beyond the laws are the stories of women, who have been fighting, surviving the heinous crime for years, with barely any legal protection.
The story of Anita, a 23-year-old woman from Rajasthan, who escaped a life of marital rape and violence after six long years – in the midst of the raging COVID-19 pandemic.
(Name and certain details of survivor and her child has been changed to protect their identity. Trigger Warning: Descriptions of marital rape and violence. Reader discretion advised.)
![Beyond the laws are stories of women – who have been fighting, marital rape for years. This is one such story.](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2022-05%2Fc0ff1bc0-a489-4452-96de-ce8258c80455%2F1.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
![Beyond the laws are stories of women – who have been fighting, marital rape for years. This is one such story.](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2022-05%2F9d85ad59-89a3-4525-868f-32a312371ea6%2F2.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
![Beyond the laws are stories of women – who have been fighting, marital rape for years. This is one such story.](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2022-05%2Fd7e9ab8d-03cd-4156-b360-1ce5d45209b5%2F3.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
![Beyond the laws are stories of women – who have been fighting, marital rape for years. This is one such story.](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2022-05%2Fa7fe4762-1cba-496f-b783-0fe25e657bdb%2F4__10_.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
![Beyond the laws are stories of women – who have been fighting, marital rape for years. This is one such story.](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2022-05%2F6ee6f8f1-532b-4e07-bc49-5d5dcea7fd38%2F5__8_.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
![Beyond the laws are stories of women – who have been fighting, marital rape for years. This is one such story.](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2022-05%2F6b9210f9-c18f-4af7-a451-f704618a9c81%2F6__6_.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
![Beyond the laws are stories of women – who have been fighting, marital rape for years. This is one such story.](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2022-05%2F79a099a0-4296-4669-9f14-d975c969c200%2F7.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
![Beyond the laws are stories of women – who have been fighting, marital rape for years. This is one such story.](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2022-05%2F04570dd9-0f6e-4c0b-b600-98875d4b3aad%2F8.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
![Beyond the laws are stories of women – who have been fighting, marital rape for years. This is one such story.](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2022-05%2F8ea517f1-0d44-447f-8a90-84727766d868%2F9.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
![Beyond the laws are stories of women – who have been fighting, marital rape for years. This is one such story.](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2022-05%2Fa56beba4-4396-4dc7-9247-0077986e6f46%2F10.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)