NEW DELHI: Can a rape accused get away by claiming that he had penetrated a woman's vagina for "proper hygienic or medical purposes"? The hastily promulgated ordinance replacing rape with the broader and gender neutral offence of "sexual assault" has given rise to such a bizarre possibility.
This is because of the ill-thought-out definition of sexual assault, which encompasses a wide range of non-consensual sexual acts, whether they involve penetration or just touching. The howler in the ordinance is where it says that any of those acts would fall outside the purview of sexual assault if "such penetration or touching is carried out for proper hygienic or medical purposes". Read more
Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com
