Adultery no longer a crime in India, says SC: All you need to know

The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday said adultery was not a crime as it struck down the colonial-era anti-adultery law as unconstitutional. In its order, the court said the law dented the individuality of women and treated them as “chattel of husbands”.

The SC’s five-judge Constitution Bench was unanimous in striking down Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), dealing with the offence of adultery, holding it as manifestly arbitrary, archaic and violative of the rights to equality and equal opportunity to women. Adultery was punishable by a maximum five years in jail or fine or both. A five-judge