Equality! Equality!
War, burn houses, deaths for the equality of genders. We all talk about equality of all genders, but unfortunately, when it comes to the Indian constitution, it is far from reality.
There are still some laws which are sexist and unfair towards men and are a hurdle in the goal of gender equality. These laws were apparently made after considering the violence committed on women.
#1: If a man has sex on the pretext of marriage and doesn’t marry, it amounts to rape.
Yes, the fourth point of section 345 states that if a man has sex with a woman after promising marriage, he can’t break up with the woman. If he does, according to the laws in India, he’s a rapist.
#2: If a woman is treated with physical or mental cruelty by her husband and his family, she can throw them behind bars.
That’s perfectly fine and a good way to serve justice, but here’s the catch. Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code says that the woman doesn’t need to give any evidence whatsoever. Fair enough, but let’s consider the number of reported false imprisonments.
#3: The father of the deceased doesn’t inherit property, but the mother does
Under the Hindu Succession Act of 1956, if the deceased has no will, the spouse, mother and children inherit the property belonging to the deceased. The father is only entitled if the deceased does not have a spouse, mother or children. On a related note, there were laws which held male child the inheritor of his father’s property.
#4: Men can be raped, stalked, sexually harassed and it will not be considered an offence
The law directly refuse to believe that these offences are committed on men too. Even before the amendment, there were only a few men who dared to disclose that such heinous crimes were committed on them. But the law makes that even more impossible. On the other side, it refuses the existence of marital rape. Way to go logic.
#5: If the death of the woman is caused by burns or bodily injury within 7 years of marriage, it’s the husband’s fault.
This has been stated in Section 304B. Well, I’m sure there are innumerable cases of burning and other physical injuries, and most are just, but can’t it just be a house fire?
