The Supreme Court recognized 'marital rape,' which is sexual violence by a man against his wife. The historic decision was made by a court led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud under the provisions of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act.
The Supreme Court declared that it is erroneous to assume that a sexually active woman cannot be raped, and therefore banned the practice of the "two-finger test" on victims of rape or sexual assault.
The Supreme Court bench, comprising chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli, stated that it was patriarchal and sexist to imply that a woman cannot be believed when she alleges that she was raped just because she is sexually active.
The Supreme Court held that seeking for money to build a house constitutes a "dowry demand," adding that the term "dowry" might refer to any demand made on a woman, whether in regard to a property or valuable security of any form.
The decision was made under the supervision of Justices NV Ramana, AS Bopanna, and Hima Kohli.
The Supreme Court decided that the mother, who is the child's natural guardian, has the right to decide the child's surname , further equating her relationship r position to the father.
A mother cannot be prevented from bringing her child into her new family after the death of her husband, from deciding the child's surname, and even has the right to give the child for adoption.
The Supreme Court issued a landmark decision, granting women throughout India the right to safe & legal abortion up to 24 weeks of their pregnancy, irrespective of their marital status.
According to SC, "every woman has the freedom to make reproductive decisions without excessive state interference."
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