India’s top court has ruled adultery is no longer a criminal offence.
The Supreme Court overturned a 158-year-old law which said any man who had sex with a married woman, without the permission of her husband, was guilty of the criminal act of adultery.
READ ALSO: Couple leaves 5-year-old boy alone in the woods as punishment for wetting himself
It is not clear how many men have been prosecuted under the law since its inception – there is no data available.
A petitioner had challenged the law saying it was arbitrary and discriminated against men and women.
READ ALSO: God orchestrated my defeat; he wants NDC to come back – Mahama
While reading out the judgement, Chief Justice Dipak Misra said: “adultery can be ground for civil issues including dissolution of marriage but it cannot be a criminal offence”.
He added that the law discriminated against women, saying “treating women with indignity or discrimination invites the wrath of the constitution”.
READ ALSO: Full text: Akufo-Addo’s speech at the 73rd UN General Assembly