Editing Indian Penal Code (section)

===Adultery – Section 497===
The [[Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code]] has been criticised on the one hand for allegedly treating women as the private property of her husband, and on the other hand for giving women complete protection against punishment for adultery.<ref>{{cite news|title=Wife is private property, so no trespassing|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Wife-is-private-property-so-no-trespassing/articleshow/48106882.cms|access-date=15 August 2015|work=The Times of india|date=17 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Adultery law biased against men, says Supreme Court|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Adultery-law-biased-against-men-says-Supreme-Court/articleshow/10964790.cms|access-date=15 August 2015|work=The Times of India|date=3 December 2011}}</ref> This section was unanimously struck down on 27 September 2018 by a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court in case of ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20190715194520/https://www.sci.gov.in/supremecourt/2017/32550/32550_2017_Judgement_27-Sep-2018.pdf Joseph Shine v. Union of India]'' as being unconstitutional and demeaning to the dignity of women. Adultery continues to be a ground for seeking divorce in a Civil Court, but is no longer a criminal offence in India.

Adultery was omitted under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in 2024. However, BNS retains the essence of Section 498 from the IPC (Clause 84), which penalizes a man for enticing another man's wife to engage in intercourse with any person.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023 |url=https://prsindia.org/billtrack/the-bharatiya-nyaya-second-sanhita-2023 |access-date=2024-07-04 |website=PRS Legislative Research |language=en-US}}</ref>