Adultery law: SC starts hearing plea to examine constitutional validity

The Supreme Court today commenced hearing on pleas seeking quashing of the adultery provision in the IPC on the ground that it only punishes married men for having extra-marital sexual relations with a married woman. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said it will not touch the law to make it an offence for women too. "We will test whether Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on the basis of Article 14 (equality before law) should remain a criminal offence at all," the bench also comprising justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, said.