Offences Against Women in IPC, 1860 (Paper)

  • Mahelaka Abrar
  • September 30, 2020

Content :

From time immemorial, women have been subject of multiple violence against them in one form or the other. They have been victims of numerous socio-economic prejudices which not only kept them in a woven net of prolonged poverty with increased dependency on men but also brought about many brutalities against them. Most typically, these brutalities are committed by men as a result of this long-standing gender inequalities existing in the country.

The perpetuation of these crimes has been fostered by the evils of patriarchy which is deep in rooted in the Indian culture even today. Back from sati, child marriage, prohibition on widow remarriage to dowry deaths, cyber bullying and sexual harassment at workplaces, these crimes have travelled a long way to engulf women in a never-ending perilous environment. Moreover, in the present socio-legal scenario there has been an unfortunate increase in the number of the offences committed against women. 

In the light of such circumstances, many legal provisions have been enacted to book the culprits to justice and ensure safety of woman. The Indian Penal Code though, provides provisions for women as a victim of many crimes such as murder, robbery, theft, etc. but there are certain crimes which are diametrically characterized against the women and are known as ‘Offences Against Women’.

This article seeks to expound some of the central and most perpetrated crimes against women prevalent in India and their provisions as mentioned in the Indian Penal Code, 1860.