{"id":242163,"date":"2021-01-12T16:09:50","date_gmt":"2021-01-12T10:39:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?p=242163"},"modified":"2021-01-12T16:09:50","modified_gmt":"2021-01-12T10:39:50","slug":"virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cVirginity tests are invasive, offensive, and discriminatory and blatantly violate the dignity of a woman\u201d \u2013 Justice Ayesha A. Malik || Detailed Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Lahore High Court: <\/strong>While deliberating upon the writ petitions challenging the use and conduct of \u2018virginity tests\u2019 especially \u201cTwo-finger Test\u201d and \u201cHymen Examination\u201d in cases of rape and sexual abuse, Ayesha A. Malik, J., held that the virginity tests, carried out for the purposes of ascertaining the virginity of female rape or sexual abuse victim, is unscientific and has no medical basis, therefore it is of no forensic value in cases of sexual violence. It was further held that the virginity tests offend the personal dignity of the female victim and therefore is against the right to life and right to dignity enshrined in Articles 9 and 14 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Contentions: <\/strong>The petitions were brought before the Court by a group of diverse women, who have been working in the public sphere and one of the members of the National Assembly of Pakistan. They stated before the Court that the virginity tests are done upon a victim in order to ascertain whether they are sexually active. The petitioners put forth the following contentions &#8211;<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>There is no medical or scientific basis to continue with virginity testing; that it violates the fundamental rights of the female victims such that it denies the female victim her fundamental rights of dignity and privacy that she is guaranteed under the Constitution.<\/li>\n<li>After the omission of Section 151 (4) of the Qanun-e-Shahadat Order, 1984 under the Criminal Law (Amendment) (Offences Relating to Rape) Act, 2016, tests are irrelevant for the charge of rape or sexual abuse. The virginity tests are neither necessary nor reliable for the purpose of investigation into the incident of rape or sexual abuse.<\/li>\n<li>Even though the consent of the victim is obtained before conducting the test, however the victim is neither aware of the reasons for carrying out either of the tests nor is she informed properly, with sufficient sensitivity, as to what the examination entails.<\/li>\n<li>The medico-legal examination reports rely on words such as \u201chabituated to sex\u201d or \u201cnot a virgin\u201d which are irrelevant for the purposes of the incident under investigation and such derogatory language stigmatizes the victim, causing social and personal trauma. There is not enough training with reference to the female medical officers appointed, who carry out the virginity tests and fill in the medico-legal report.<\/li>\n<li>Pakistan is a signatory to several international treaties like UDHR, ICCPR, Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, 1984 which denounce virginity testing. Moreover, Pakistan has also signed and ratified Convention Against Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, 1979 (CEDAW), which prohibits all forms of discrimination against women and declares the two-finger test as discriminatory such that it amounts to a denial of rights to female victims of rape on the basis of her gender.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The respondents (Federation of Pakistan and Province of Punjab) did not dispute the contentions of the Petitioners to the extent that the two-finger test should not be conducted. They stated that the matter is under consideration with the competent authority and guidelines are in the process to be framed. It was clarified that the two-finger test is not conducted unless it is deemed necessary and that in cases of minor girls, it is mandatory to inspect the hymen in detail to determine whether it is intact and if not then the nature of the injury.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Upon perusal of the petitioners\u2019 contentions and statements provided by the respondents vis-\u00e0-vis the prevalent scenario and after detailed scrutiny of the relevant Guidelines\/ SOPs; the Court observed the Guidelines for the Examination of Female Survivors\/Victims of Sexual Abuse, 2020 still calls for a virginity test albeit by confusing the issue rather forbidding it (it allows a \u201cper-vaginum examination\u201d where required and per-vaginum examination is understood to mean the two finger test). It was noted that a bare reading of 2020 Guidelines makes it clear that the process of virginity testing through <em>two fingers <\/em>or <em>hymen examination <\/em>are standardized and form the basis of the medical officer\u2019s opinion or the court\u2019s opinion on the virtue and character of the victim. Regarding the use of phrases like \u201chabituated to sex\u201d and \u201cnot a virgin\u201d in medico-legal reports the Court noted that, \u201c<em>Often enough the opinion of the medical officer is carried into the judgments of the court and language such as<\/em> \u201c<em>habituated to sex<\/em>\u201d, \u201c<em>women of easy virtue<\/em>\u201d, \u201c<em>habitual to sexual intercourse\u201d<\/em>, \u201c<em>indulging in sexual activities\u201d are used to describe the victim. The basis being that a woman habituated to sex is likely to have raised a false charge of rape or sexual abuse<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The High Court also referred to several decisions rendered by the Indian courts, most notably the Supreme Court of India\u2019s judgment in <strong><em>Lillu<\/em><\/strong> <strong>v.<\/strong> <strong><em>State of Haryana<\/em><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/Hjb7dM72\">(2013) 14 SCC 643<\/a>, <\/strong>wherein it was held that- <em>the two finger test and its interpretation violates the right of rape survivors to privacy, physical and mental integrity and dignity; therefore, this test, even if the report is affirmative, cannot ipso facto, be given rise to presumption of consent<\/em>. Judgments delivered by Allahabad HC in <strong><em>Akhtar<\/em><\/strong> <strong>v.<\/strong> <strong><em>State of U.P.<\/em><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/8wZzs7iX\">2014 SCC OnLine All 8922<\/a> <\/strong>and Gujarat HC in <strong><em>State of Gujarat<\/em><\/strong> <strong>v<\/strong><em>. <strong>Rameshchandra Ramabhai Panchal<\/strong>, <\/em><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/z69Ql2eY\">2020 SCC OnLine Guj 114<\/a><\/strong> \u00a0were also referred to.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">It was also noted that Pakistan has signed and ratified several relevant International Treaties which cast an obligation upon the Government to ensure that all necessary steps are taken to prevent carrying out virginity testing, as <em>globally it is accepted that virginity testing does not establish the offence of rape or sexual abuse nor does past sexual conduct have any relevance in the medico-legal examination which aims to collect evidence on the charge of sexual violence<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Judge noted that, \u201c<em>Virginity testing is highly invasive, having no scientific or medical requirement, yet carried out in the name of medical protocols in sexual violence cases. It is a humiliating practice. If the victim, is found to not be a virgin, it cannot and does not suggest that she was not raped or sexually<\/em> <em>abused. What it does is place the victim on trial in place of the accused and shifts the focus on her virginity status. In this regard, the victim\u2019s sexual behaviour is totally irrelevant as even the most promiscuous victim does not deserve to be raped, nor should the incident of sexual violence be decided on the basis of a virginity test. It is a blatant violation of the dignity of a woman. The conclusion drawn from these tests about a woman\u2019s sexual history and character is a direct attack on her dignity and leads to adverse effects on the social and cultural standing of a victim\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">With the aforementioned observations, the Court made the following declarations-<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Virginity tests are discriminatory against the female victim as they are carried out on the basis of their gender, therefore offends Article 25 of the Constitution, 1973.<\/li>\n<li>To the extent that the 2020 Guidelines, SOPs and the 2015 Instructions mandate the virginity tests are declared to be illegal and against the Constitution and the Federation and Provincial Government should take necessary steps to ensure that virginity tests are not carried out in medico-legal examination of the victims of rape and sexual abuse.<\/li>\n<li>The Provincial Government should devise appropriate medico-legal protocols and guidelines, along with standard operating procedures, in line with international practice that recognize and manage sensitively the care of victims of sexual violence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">[Sadaf Aziz v. Federation of Pakistan, WP No. 13537 of 2020, decided on 04-01-2021]<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Sucheta Sarkar, Editorial Assistant has put this story together<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Image Credits:<\/strong> DAWN<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lahore High Court: While deliberating upon the writ petitions challenging the use and conduct of \u2018virginity tests\u2019 especially \u201cTwo-finger Test\u201d and \u201cHymen <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67011,"featured_media":242165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[3268,11171,2572,44798,31396,44797],"class_list":["post-242163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-casebriefs","category-foreigncourts","tag-Fundamental_Rights","tag-privacy","tag-Rape","tag-right-to-dignity","tag-sexual-abuse","tag-virginity-tests"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.4 (Yoast SEO v26.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\u201cVirginity tests are invasive, offensive, and discriminatory and blatantly violate the dignity of a woman\u201d \u2013 Justice Ayesha A. Malik | Detailed Report | SCC Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cVirginity tests are invasive, offensive, and discriminatory and blatantly violate the dignity of a woman\u201d \u2013 Justice Ayesha A. Malik || Detailed Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lahore High Court: While deliberating upon the writ petitions challenging the use and conduct of \u2018virginity tests\u2019 especially \u201cTwo-finger Test\u201d and \u201cHymen\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SCC Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/scc.online\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-01-12T10:39:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/LHC.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1330\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"887\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/\",\"name\":\"\u201cVirginity tests are invasive, offensive, and discriminatory and blatantly violate the dignity of a woman\u201d \u2013 Justice Ayesha A. Malik | Detailed Report | SCC Times\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/LHC.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-12T10:39:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/84e42bab48238baf12c7e33b3d9761fe\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/LHC.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/LHC.jpg\",\"width\":1330,\"height\":887},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u201cVirginity tests are invasive, offensive, and discriminatory and blatantly violate the dignity of a woman\u201d \u2013 Justice Ayesha A. Malik || Detailed Report\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"SCC Times\",\"description\":\"Bringing you the Best Analytical Legal News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/84e42bab48238baf12c7e33b3d9761fe\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/34e366be721c41333586de05faa13743195f5b142dcd7a015c6fabd2389521d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/34e366be721c41333586de05faa13743195f5b142dcd7a015c6fabd2389521d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/author\/editor_4\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u201cVirginity tests are invasive, offensive, and discriminatory and blatantly violate the dignity of a woman\u201d \u2013 Justice Ayesha A. Malik | Detailed Report | SCC Times","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u201cVirginity tests are invasive, offensive, and discriminatory and blatantly violate the dignity of a woman\u201d \u2013 Justice Ayesha A. Malik || Detailed Report","og_description":"Lahore High Court: While deliberating upon the writ petitions challenging the use and conduct of \u2018virginity tests\u2019 especially \u201cTwo-finger Test\u201d and \u201cHymen","og_url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/","og_site_name":"SCC Times","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/scc.online\/","article_published_time":"2021-01-12T10:39:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1330,"height":887,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/LHC.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/","url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/","name":"\u201cVirginity tests are invasive, offensive, and discriminatory and blatantly violate the dignity of a woman\u201d \u2013 Justice Ayesha A. Malik | Detailed Report | SCC Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/LHC.jpg","datePublished":"2021-01-12T10:39:50+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/84e42bab48238baf12c7e33b3d9761fe"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/LHC.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/LHC.jpg","width":1330,"height":887},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/12\/virginity-tests-are-invasive-offensive-and-discriminatory-and-blatantly-violate-the-dignity-of-a-woman-justice-ayesha-a-malik-detailed-report\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u201cVirginity tests are invasive, offensive, and discriminatory and blatantly violate the dignity of a woman\u201d \u2013 Justice Ayesha A. Malik || Detailed Report"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/","name":"SCC Times","description":"Bringing you the Best Analytical Legal News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/84e42bab48238baf12c7e33b3d9761fe","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/34e366be721c41333586de05faa13743195f5b142dcd7a015c6fabd2389521d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/34e366be721c41333586de05faa13743195f5b142dcd7a015c6fabd2389521d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Editor"},"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/author\/editor_4\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/LHC.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":246598,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/04\/07\/virginity-tests\/","url_meta":{"origin":242163,"position":0},"title":"Pak SC comes down heavily on virginity tests. Holds that dragging sexual history of the rape survivor in a case, by making observations about her body, is unconstitutional","author":"Editor","date":"April 7, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Supreme Court of Pakistan: In a significant decision, the 3 Judge Bench of the Court comprising of Manzoor Ahmad Malik, Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel and Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, JJ., while deliberating upon issues revolving around the scientific veracity of virginity tests to ascertain rape and questioning a woman\u2019s sexual\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/supreme_court_of_jpakistan.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/supreme_court_of_jpakistan.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/supreme_court_of_jpakistan.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/supreme_court_of_jpakistan.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/supreme_court_of_jpakistan.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":259755,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2022\/01\/08\/justice-ayesha-a-malik-becomes-first-female-judge-to-be-elevated-to-pakistan-supreme-court\/","url_meta":{"origin":242163,"position":1},"title":"Justice Ayesha A. Malik becomes first female Judge to be elevated to the Pakistan Supreme Court","author":"Bhumika Indulia","date":"January 8, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"As per reports, Justice Ayesha A. Malik of Lahore High Court has been elevated to the Supreme Court of Pakistan and with this decision, she will become the first-ever female Judge of the Pakistan Supreme Court. Dawn\u00a0reported, The Judicial Com\u00admis\u00adsion of Pakistan (JCP) on Thursday approved the elevation of Lahore\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Appointments &amp; Transfers&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Appointments &amp; Transfers","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/news\/appointments\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/image-16.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/image-16.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/image-16.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/image-16.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/image-16.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":283428,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/02\/08\/delhi-high-court-rules-virginity-test-by-cbi-on-female-accused-sister-sephy-as-unconstitutional-against-article-21-in-sister-abhaya-murder-fundamental-rights-right-to-dignity-custodial-dignity-legalne\/","url_meta":{"origin":242163,"position":2},"title":"Virginity test conducted on a female detainee\/accused under investigation\/custody whether judicial\/police is unconstitutional; Delhi High Court issues directions","author":"Editor","date":"February 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"To hold that conducting virginity test on a woman who is victim of sexual assault and on a woman who may be an accused of an offence will be on different footing or that the earlier will be unconstitutional and the later constitutional, will be a perverse finding and against\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Delhi High Court","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/MicrosoftTeams-image-418.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":259325,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/12\/31\/legal-stories-of-the-year-2021\/","url_meta":{"origin":242163,"position":3},"title":"From Foreign Courts, Advance Rulings to High Courts | Legal Stories of the Year 2021","author":"Bhumika Indulia","date":"December 31, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The most important and eye-catching legal stories of the year 2021. Dive your way through these pertinent decisions into 2022. Legal Trajectory | DABUS and Artificial Intelligence System an Inventor or not? Artificial Intelligence Machine, can it be granted a patent for its own invention? Demystifying grant of patent to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/MicrosoftTeams-image-140.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/MicrosoftTeams-image-140.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/MicrosoftTeams-image-140.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/MicrosoftTeams-image-140.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/MicrosoftTeams-image-140.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":216462,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2019\/07\/04\/cal-hc-divorce-on-the-ground-of-non-consummation-of-marriage-virginity-test-not-necessary-not-a-reliable-indicator-of-sexual-intercourse\/","url_meta":{"origin":242163,"position":4},"title":"Cal HC | Divorce on ground of non-consummation of marriage &#8211; Virginity test not necessary: not a reliable indicator of sexual intercourse","author":"Bhumika Indulia","date":"July 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Calcutta High Court: Sahidullah Munshi, J. allowed the appeal for the subsequent dates being asked for by the husband for the potency test but dismissed the appeal made by the husband for the virginity test of the wife as it did not appear to the Court a sound proposition of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/calcutta-court.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/calcutta-court.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/calcutta-court.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/calcutta-court.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/calcutta-court.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":374393,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/02\/02\/mp-hc-denies-relief-to-husband-who-sought-virginity-test-of-wife\/","url_meta":{"origin":242163,"position":5},"title":"&#8220;Invasion of privacy and humiliation&#8221;: Madhya Pradesh HC denies relief to husband who sought virginity test of his wife","author":"Sonali Ahuja","date":"February 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cSo far as the medical examination to ascertain whether the wife has ever entered into a sexual relationship or not, is concerned, it is nothing but seeking a virginity test of the wife, in other words.\u201d","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"virginity test of wife","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/virginity-test-of-wife.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/virginity-test-of-wife.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/virginity-test-of-wife.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/virginity-test-of-wife.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67011"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}