{"id":341170,"date":"2025-02-12T18:45:26","date_gmt":"2025-02-12T13:15:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?p=341170"},"modified":"2025-02-17T10:18:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T04:48:02","slug":"chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/","title":{"rendered":"Chhattisgarh HC acquits husband accused of having unnatural sex with wife under S. 377 IPC leading to her death"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;\">\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Chhattisgarh High Court:<\/span> In a criminal appeal filed by a husband convicted and sentenced under Sections <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561701\" target=\"_blank\">376<\/a><a id=\"fnref1\" href=\"#fn1\" title=\"1. Section 64 and 65(1) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023\"><sup>1<\/sup><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561707\" target=\"_blank\">377<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561609\" target=\"_blank\">304<\/a><a id=\"fnref2\" href=\"#fn2\" title=\"2. Section 105 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023\"><sup>2<\/sup><\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726960\" target=\"_blank\">Penal Code, 1860<\/a> (&#8216;IPC&#8217;) for the rape and subsequent death of his wife, the Single Judge Bench of Narendra Kumar Vyas, J., allowed the appeal holding that no offence under Sections 376 and 377 could be committed between a husband and wife, and the impugned order of conviction suffered from perversity as the Trial Court provided no finding as to how the offence under Section 304 was made out.<\/p>\n<h3>Background<\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">On the night of the incident, the convict-husband committed unnatural sex with the deceased wife against her will. The husband inserted his hand in the anus of the deceased, due to which she complained of pain, and subsequently, was admitted to a hospital for treatment, an FIR was registered under Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561707\" target=\"_blank\">377<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726960\" target=\"_blank\">IPC<\/a>, and the husband was arrested. The deceased eventually succumbed to her injuries, so an offence under Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561609\" target=\"_blank\">304<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726960\" target=\"_blank\">IPC<\/a> was also added, and the husband was arrested.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">During the trial, the Executive Magistrate who recorded the dying declaration stated that though the deceased informed him that her husband had forcefully committed an unnatural sexual act with her, the same was not mentioned in the dying declaration. Additionally, the post-mortem stated that the cause of death was peritonitis and rectal perforation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">Relying upon the dying declaration, the Trial Court held that the deceased became ill due to a forceful physical relationship with her husband and convicted the husband under Sections <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561707\" target=\"_blank\">377<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561701\" target=\"_blank\">376<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561609\" target=\"_blank\">304<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726960\" target=\"_blank\">IPC<\/a> and sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment of 10 years and a total fine of Rs 3000. Aggrieved, the husband filed the present appeal.<\/p>\n<h3>Issues and Decision<\/h3>\n<p>1. Whether offence under Sections <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561701\" target=\"_blank\">376<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561707\" target=\"_blank\">377<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726960\" target=\"_blank\">IPC<\/a> was attracted in the present facts and circumstances of the case when the accused and the victim are married.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">The Court stated that from a perusal of Sections <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561700\" target=\"_blank\">375<\/a><a id=\"fnref3\" href=\"#fn3\" title=\"3. Section 63 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023\"><sup>3<\/sup><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561701\" target=\"_blank\">376<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561707\" target=\"_blank\">377<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726960\" target=\"_blank\">IPC<\/a> it was clear that no offence under Section 375 could be committed between a husband and wife under Exception 2, even in the absence of consent. The Court stated that it was clear that the definition of rape as provided under Section 375 included penetration of penis in the parts of the body i.e., vagina, urethra or anus of a woman for which consent was not required, if it was committed by a husband on a wife above the age of 15 years. Thus, unnatural sex could not be considered an unnatural offence between husband and wife, as such apparently, there was repugnancy in these two situations in the light of definition of rape under Section 375 and unnatural offence of Section 377. The Court added in <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Navtej Singh Johar<\/span> v. <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Union of India<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/8gd9DlY2\" target=\"_blank\">(2018) 10 SCC 1<\/a>, the Supreme Court had interpreted unnatural sex to include oral and anal sex, which were not offences if done consensually. Since the relationship of a husband and wife was an exception to the offence of rape, which included anal penetration, as consent was not required, any unnatural sex between husband and wife could not be treated as an unnatural offence under Section 377.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">Thus, the Court held that the offences under Sections <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561701\" target=\"_blank\">376<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561707\" target=\"_blank\">377<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726960\" target=\"_blank\">IPC<\/a> were not made out against the accused.<\/p>\n<p>2. Whether, in the present facts and circumstances of the case, the offence under Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561609\" target=\"_blank\">304<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726960\" target=\"_blank\">IPC<\/a> was attracted, and conviction under Section 304 was sustainable.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">The Court stated that upon scrutiny of the dying declaration, the same could not be found to be sufficient for recording the conviction as there was no corroboration from other evidence, and as such, there was doubt over the correctness of the dying declaration. In this regard, the Court placed reliance on <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Naeem<\/span> v. <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">State of U.P.<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/h8X2wi82\" target=\"_blank\">2024 SCC OnLine SC 237<\/a>, wherein the Supreme Court provided factors to be considered while resting conviction solely on the dying declaration.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">Regarding Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561609\" target=\"_blank\">304<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726960\" target=\"_blank\">IPC<\/a>, the Court noted that the Trial Court did not record any finding as to how the offence under Section 304 was attracted and proved by the prosecution. Thus, the order suffered from perversity and patent illegality, which deserved to be interfered with under Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001519673\" target=\"_blank\">386<\/a><a id=\"fnref4\" href=\"#fn4\" title=\"4. Section 427 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023\"><sup>4<\/sup><\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726935\" target=\"_blank\">Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973<\/a>. Accordingly, the Court held that the accused&#8217;s conviction under Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561609\" target=\"_blank\">304<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726960\" target=\"_blank\">IPC<\/a> deserved to be quashed.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">Thus, considering the law laid down in the aforementioned judgment, material, and evidence on record, the Court held that the impugned order of conviction deserved to be set aside.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">Accordingly, the Court allowed the appeal and acquitted him under Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561701\" target=\"_blank\">376<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561707\" target=\"_blank\">377<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0001561609\" target=\"_blank\">304<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-0002726960\" target=\"_blank\">IPC<\/a>. The Court also directed the appellant to be released.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">[<span style=\"font-weight: bold; color: #632423;\">Gorakhnth Sharma v. State of Chhattisgarh, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/L58czaK2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2025 SCC OnLine Chh 2287<\/a>, decided on 10-02-2025<\/span>]<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Advocates who appeared in this case:<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">For the appellant:<\/span> Raj Kumar Pali<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">For the respondent:<\/span> Deputy Government Advocate Pramod Shrivastava<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color: #000080;\">Buy Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 &nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebcwebstore.com\/product_info.php?products_id=1031\" target=\"_blank\">HERE<\/a><\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebcwebstore.com\/product_info.php?products_id=1031\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/code-of-criminal-procedure-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Code of Criminal Procedure\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-294422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/code-of-criminal-procedure-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/code-of-criminal-procedure-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/code-of-criminal-procedure-440x293.jpg 440w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/code-of-criminal-procedure-650x433.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/code-of-criminal-procedure.jpg 886w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/code-of-criminal-procedure-60x40.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color: #000080;\">Buy Penal Code, 1860 &nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebcwebstore.com\/product_info.php?products_id=1158\" target=\"_blank\">HERE<\/a><\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebcwebstore.com\/product_info.php?products_id=1158\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"penal code, 1860\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-294601\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860-440x293.jpg 440w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860-650x433.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860.jpg 886w, https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/penal-code-1860-60x40.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: -18pt;\"><a id=\"fn1\" href=\"#fnref1\">1.<\/a> Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-9001803752\" target=\"_blank\">64<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-9001803753\" target=\"_blank\">65(1)<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-9001804326\" target=\"_blank\">Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: -18pt;\"><a id=\"fn2\" href=\"#fnref2\">2.<\/a> Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-9001803440\" target=\"_blank\">105<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-9001804326\" target=\"_blank\">Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: -18pt;\"><a id=\"fn3\" href=\"#fnref3\">3.<\/a> Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-9001803751\" target=\"_blank\">63<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-9001804326\" target=\"_blank\">Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: -18pt;\"><a id=\"fn4\" href=\"#fnref4\">4.<\/a> Section <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-9001804158\" target=\"_blank\">427<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-9001804327\" target=\"_blank\">Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-style: italic;\">&#8220;If the age of wife is not below the age of 15 years then any sexual intercourse or sexual act by the husband with her wife cannot be termed as rape under the circumstances, as such absence of consent of wife for unnatural act loses its importance, therefore, the offence under Section 376 and 377 of the IPC against the accused was not made out.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67011,"featured_media":315373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,10],"tags":[4561,78592,48115,30591,31096,11941,13961,74118,3156,78591,49411,30932,35824,78590],"class_list":["post-341170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-casebriefs","category-highcourts","tag-acquittal","tag-anal-sex","tag-carnal-intercourse","tag-chhattisgarh-high-court","tag-criminal-appeal","tag-crpc","tag-ipc","tag-justice-narendra-kumar-vyas","tag-murder","tag-rape-of-wife","tag-section-375","tag-section-377","tag-unnatural-offence","tag-unnatural-sex-with-wife"],"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>Chhattisgarh HC acquits husband accused of having unnatural sex under S. 377 IPC with wife leading to her death | SCC Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Chhattisgarh HC acquitted husband for having unnatural sex leading to death, since non-consensual sex with wife not rape\" \/>\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\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chhattisgarh HC acquits husband accused of having unnatural sex with wife under S. 377 IPC leading to her death\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Chhattisgarh HC acquitted husband for having unnatural sex leading to death, since non-consensual sex with wife not rape\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/\" \/>\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=\"2025-02-12T13:15:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-17T04:48:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chhattisgarh-High-Court.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"887\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"591\" \/>\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:title\" content=\"Chhattisgarh HC acquits husband accused of having unnatural sex with wife under S. 377 IPC leading to her death\" \/>\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=\"5 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\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/\",\"name\":\"Chhattisgarh HC acquits husband accused of having unnatural sex under S. 377 IPC with wife leading to her death | SCC Times\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chhattisgarh-High-Court.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-12T13:15:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-17T04:48:02+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/84e42bab48238baf12c7e33b3d9761fe\"},\"description\":\"Chhattisgarh HC acquitted husband for having unnatural sex leading to death, since non-consensual sex with wife not rape\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chhattisgarh-High-Court.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chhattisgarh-High-Court.webp\",\"width\":887,\"height\":591,\"caption\":\"Chhattisgarh High Court\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Chhattisgarh HC acquits husband accused of having unnatural sex with wife under S. 377 IPC leading to her death\"}]},{\"@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":"Chhattisgarh HC acquits husband accused of having unnatural sex under S. 377 IPC with wife leading to her death | SCC Times","description":"Chhattisgarh HC acquitted husband for having unnatural sex leading to death, since non-consensual sex with wife not rape","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\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Chhattisgarh HC acquits husband accused of having unnatural sex with wife under S. 377 IPC leading to her death","og_description":"Chhattisgarh HC acquitted husband for having unnatural sex leading to death, since non-consensual sex with wife not rape","og_url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/","og_site_name":"SCC Times","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/scc.online\/","article_published_time":"2025-02-12T13:15:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-02-17T04:48:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":887,"height":591,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chhattisgarh-High-Court.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Chhattisgarh HC acquits husband accused of having unnatural sex with wife under S. 377 IPC leading to her death","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/","url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/","name":"Chhattisgarh HC acquits husband accused of having unnatural sex under S. 377 IPC with wife leading to her death | SCC Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chhattisgarh-High-Court.webp","datePublished":"2025-02-12T13:15:26+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-17T04:48:02+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/84e42bab48238baf12c7e33b3d9761fe"},"description":"Chhattisgarh HC acquitted husband for having unnatural sex leading to death, since non-consensual sex with wife not rape","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chhattisgarh-High-Court.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chhattisgarh-High-Court.webp","width":887,"height":591,"caption":"Chhattisgarh High Court"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/02\/12\/chhattisgarh-hc-acquits-husband-accused-having-unnatural-sex-under-s-377-ipc-with-wife-leading-her-death\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Chhattisgarh HC acquits husband accused of having unnatural sex with wife under S. 377 IPC leading to her death"}]},{"@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\/2024\/02\/Chhattisgarh-High-Court.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":253307,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/08\/27\/rape-7\/","url_meta":{"origin":341170,"position":0},"title":"Chh HC | \u201cSexual intercourse by husband would not constitute an offence of rape even if it was by force or against her wish\u201d; Can a wife initiate proceedings against her husband for unnatural sex under S. 377 IPC?","author":"Editor","date":"August 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Chhattisgarh High Court: N K Chandravanshi, J. partly allowed the revision petition by discharging the applicant of charge under Section 376 Penal Code, 1860 and upheld the charges framed under Sections 377 and 498\/34 Penal Code, 1860. The instant criminal revision was preferred by the applicants against the order dated\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":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":321446,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2024\/05\/04\/unnatural-sex-by-man-with-wife-residing-with-him-not-offence-under-section-377-ipc-mp-high-court-scc-times\/","url_meta":{"origin":341170,"position":1},"title":"Unnatural sex by husband with wife not offence under Section 377 IPC: MP High Court","author":"Ritu","date":"May 4, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Madhya Pradesh High Court held that under Section 375 of IPC any sexual intercourse or sexual act by the husband with his wife not below the age of fifteen years is not a rape, therefore, absence of consent of wife for unnatural act loses its importance.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Madhya Pradesh High Court","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Madhya-Pradesh-High-Court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Madhya-Pradesh-High-Court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Madhya-Pradesh-High-Court.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Madhya-Pradesh-High-Court.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":346319,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/04\/23\/marital-rape-is-not-recognised-under-ipc-mp-high-court-upholds-husbands-discharge-from-charge-under-section-377-ipc-scc-times\/","url_meta":{"origin":341170,"position":2},"title":"\u201cMarital Rape is not recognised under IPC\u201d; MP High Court upholds husband\u2019s discharge from Section 377 IPC charge","author":"Ritu","date":"April 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cThe definition of \u2018rape\u2019 excludes acts between a man and his wife, not below the age of fifteen years, performed during the subsistence of a valid marriage.\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":"Madhya Pradesh High Court","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Madhya-Pradesh-High-Court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Madhya-Pradesh-High-Court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Madhya-Pradesh-High-Court.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Madhya-Pradesh-High-Court.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":372388,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/01\/13\/forced-unnatural-sex-by-husband-amounts-to-cruelty-but-cant-be-rape-mp-hc\/","url_meta":{"origin":341170,"position":3},"title":"&#8220;Forced unnatural sex by husband is cruelty under S. 498A IPC, not rape&#8221;: MP HC quashes Rape, Section 377 IPC charges","author":"Sonali Ahuja","date":"January 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cForced unnatural sex by a husband on his wife amounts to cruelty under Section 498A of the IPC, but cannot be prosecuted as rape under Section 376 of the IPC as in a Section 377 context, marital rape concept is not recognized under current law because of the express marital\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":"Forced unnatural sex by husband is cruelty","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Forced-unnatural-sex-by-husband-is-cruelty.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Forced-unnatural-sex-by-husband-is-cruelty.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Forced-unnatural-sex-by-husband-is-cruelty.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Forced-unnatural-sex-by-husband-is-cruelty.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":349218,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/05\/31\/forced-unnatural-sex-not-punishable-u-s-377-ipc-but-attracts-s-498-a-if-coupled-with-cruelty-assault-mp-high-court-scc-times\/","url_meta":{"origin":341170,"position":4},"title":"Forced Unnatural Sex not punishable under S. 377 IPC, but attracts S. 498-A if coupled with cruelty\/assault: MP High Court","author":"Ritu","date":"May 31, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Cruelty under Section 498-A IPC does not necessarily require proof of dowry demands; physical or mental cruelty alone is sufficient.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Madhya Pradesh High Court","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Madhya-Pradesh-High-Court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Madhya-Pradesh-High-Court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Madhya-Pradesh-High-Court.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Madhya-Pradesh-High-Court.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":347330,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/05\/07\/allahabad-hc-section-377-marital-consent-unlawful-intercourse\/","url_meta":{"origin":341170,"position":5},"title":"Unnatural sexual intercourse by husband without wife\u2019s consent punishable under Section 377 IPC: Allahabad High Court","author":"Apoorva","date":"May 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Allahabad High Court held that carnal sex, other than penile-vaginal intercourse is not a natural orientation of sex for the majority of women, therefore the same cannot be done by the husband, even with his wife without her consent","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Allahabad High Court","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Allahabad-High-Court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Allahabad-High-Court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Allahabad-High-Court.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Allahabad-High-Court.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341170","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=341170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341170\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/315373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}