This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/indian-government-to-criminalise-marital-rape-with-comprehensive-law-a6762331.html

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Indian government to criminalise marital rape with ‘comprehensive law’ Indian government to criminalise marital rape with ‘comprehensive law’
(2 days later)
The Indian government has announced that it will put forward "comprehensive" legislation to criminalise marital rape.The Indian government has announced that it will put forward "comprehensive" legislation to criminalise marital rape.
The minister of state for home affairs, Kiran Rijiju, laid out the government’s plans during a debate in the upper house of the Indian parliament, the Rajya Sabha.The minister of state for home affairs, Kiran Rijiju, laid out the government’s plans during a debate in the upper house of the Indian parliament, the Rajya Sabha.
He stated the government will propose an amendment to the Indian Penal Code (IPC) after they have received reports from both the Law Commission and a parliamentary standing committee, according to the Times of India.He stated the government will propose an amendment to the Indian Penal Code (IPC) after they have received reports from both the Law Commission and a parliamentary standing committee, according to the Times of India.
Speaking in the chamber, Mr Rijiju told the Rajya Sabha: “To move piecemeal is not right. We have asked for comprehensive review and Law Commission also took up the matter.Speaking in the chamber, Mr Rijiju told the Rajya Sabha: “To move piecemeal is not right. We have asked for comprehensive review and Law Commission also took up the matter.
“We are waiting for appropriate suggestions from the Law Commission, and, the Parliamentary Standing Committee Report also has been mentioned during my reply.  So, it is the fittest thing for us to wait for the Committee Report.”“We are waiting for appropriate suggestions from the Law Commission, and, the Parliamentary Standing Committee Report also has been mentioned during my reply.  So, it is the fittest thing for us to wait for the Committee Report.”
But for some, change to the law was already overdue and should not be postponed any longer while ministers wait for further reports. But for some, change to the law was already overdue and should not be postponed any longer while ministers wait for further reports. 
The deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, P J Kurien, said: "If you think that rape by a husband is a crime, then, why should the government wait for the report?The deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, P J Kurien, said: "If you think that rape by a husband is a crime, then, why should the government wait for the report?
“Rape is a crime, you accept it; whether it is rape by a husband or any other person, it is equally a crime.“Rape is a crime, you accept it; whether it is rape by a husband or any other person, it is equally a crime.
School girls wear black bands on their faces during a protest rally against the rape case of a 16-year-old girl at Dhupguri town in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal
Reuters
Students of Convent of Jesus and Mary School participate in a protest against the alleged gang rape of a nun in her 70s
AP
Official figures for the number of women raped in India are often disputed by Women's Rights experts who claim the numbers are far higher
SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images
Women protest after the horrific rape and murder of Jyoti Singh in India
BBC
Women in India protest against rape and other attacks on women and girls in the country
AP
Indian activists from the Social Unity Center of India (SUCI) shout slogans against the state government in protest against the gang rape and murder of two girls in the district of Badaun in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and recent rapes in the eastern state of West Bengal, in Kolkata
AFP/Getty
Members of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union shout slogans during a protest against a gang rape of two teenage girls in Katra village, outside the Uttar Pradesh state house, in New Delhi. A top government official said the northern Uttar Pradesh state has sacked two police officers who failed to respond to a complaint by the father of the two teenage girls who went missing and were later found gang raped and killed. The placard at right reads, "Punish the culprits of gang-rape and murder of two Dalit girls"
AP Photo/Manish Swarup
Student protesters outside a Suri hospital where a rape victim is being treated
Andrew Buncombe
West Bengal Women's Forum activists walk a protest rally against a rape case in Calcutta, eastern India. A young girl was gang-raped on October 25 and afterwards repeatedly threatened by the accused, following which the disturbed girl set herself on fire December 23. She was admitted to the hospital with 40 percent burns and finally succumbed to her burn injuries on 31 December
EPA
Republican Party of India supporters protest in Mumbai against the rape of a female photographer
Reuters
Indian demonstrators shout slogans at the police during a protest calling for better safety for women
AFP/Getty Images
An Indian woman holds a poster as she protests with others against how Indian authorities handle sex crimes near the Parliament in New Delhi, after a second suspect was arrested in the rape of a 5-year-old girl. Child rights activists say the rape of the girl is just the latest case in which Indian police failed to take urgent action on a report of a missing child. Three days after the attack, the girl was found alone in locked room in the same New Delhi building where her family lives
AP
Indians protests against all-too-common gang-rapes in their country
Getty Images
Indian students of various organisations hold placards as they shout slogans during a demonstration in Hyderabad
Getty Images
A protester chants slogans as she braces herself against the spray fired from police water canons during a protest against the Indian government's reaction to recent rape incidents in India, in front of India Gate on December 23, 2012 in New Delhi
Getty Images
Indian children paint messages during a gathering to mourn the death of the 23-year old rape victim. Her statement was used in the trial
AP
Indians hold a candlelight vigil in Delhi in memory of a gang-rape victim. Five men have been charged with murder
AP
Indian protesters are escorted by police as they demonstrate against the brutal gang-rape of a woman
AP
Indian protesters destroy a police van during a violent demonstration near the India Gate against a gang rape and brutal beating of a 23-year-old student on a bus
AP
“You are tending to say that. But then, in that case, why do you wait for the report? That is the question."“You are tending to say that. But then, in that case, why do you wait for the report? That is the question."
The campaign for criminalising sexual assault in India has faced opposition from men’s rights activists and traditionalists who see the proposition as an attempt to undermine the legal provisions for "vulnerable men".The campaign for criminalising sexual assault in India has faced opposition from men’s rights activists and traditionalists who see the proposition as an attempt to undermine the legal provisions for "vulnerable men".
Earlier this year, before a summit to promote "gender neutral laws", a spokesman for Save Family Foundation, Ritwik Bisaria told the Guardian: “The meeting will evolve a strategy of protecting vulnerable men who are facing undue harassment due to the present pro-women legal provisions.Earlier this year, before a summit to promote "gender neutral laws", a spokesman for Save Family Foundation, Ritwik Bisaria told the Guardian: “The meeting will evolve a strategy of protecting vulnerable men who are facing undue harassment due to the present pro-women legal provisions.
“We plan to push for a private member’s bill in parliament to ensure that laws are not biased against men … Often, rape and dowry laws are used against men.”“We plan to push for a private member’s bill in parliament to ensure that laws are not biased against men … Often, rape and dowry laws are used against men.”
Marital rape became illegal in the UK in 1991 and was criminalised in all 50 US states by 1993. Marital rape became illegal in the UK in 1991 and was criminalised in all 50 US states by 1993.