Men’s rights activists threaten hunger strike against marital rape PIL in SC
Mumbai: Men’s rights activists have threatened to go on a hunger strike against Public Interest Petitions (PILs) on marital rape in the Supreme Court
Mumbai: Men’s rights activists have threatened to go on a hunger strike against Public Interest Petitions (PILs) on marital rape in the Supreme Court.

They said that laws on rape, domestic violence and dowry are already biased against men, leading to a slew of false cases being registered. They fear this law will be abused more rather than being used to give justice to actual victims.
As part of their protest, serial hunger strikes started at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park this weekend and the same will be held in Mumbai and Pune in the coming days. The protest is being spearheaded by the Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF) that says their activists are ready to undertake nationwide hunger strikes against the marital rape law PIL filed by some NGOs in the SC.
“Massive false marital rape cases will flood police stations and courts if this PIL is turned into a law. Lakhs of innocent men will be imprisoned. They will lose jobs, assets and social reputation,” Aakash Sahu, SIFF Mumbai, said and added that some would end up so severely traumatised that they may even die by suicide.
The Indian legal system has not been successful in curbing false cases of rape or domestic violence, pointed out SIFF president Rajesh Vakharia. “Lawyers, who form a major part of the judicial system, tend to earn more when false cases increase in courts,” he said. False cases are also filed to make stronger claims for sole custody of children, he added.
The SIFF claimed that they are in favour of laws against sexual violence in marriage or relationship but such laws in India tend to be biased towards women. The activists asserted that there was a need for amendment in the laws and processes at the police station level itself. Being falsely implicated leads to people getting harassed, running around courts for years wasting precious years of their life and their money to clear their names, they said.
“Consent should apply to both genders. The current rape laws, DV laws in our country exclude men,” Jai Vishwakarma, another SIFF member, pointed out.
Their demand includes discussion on marital rape laws in the Parliament instead of petition being heard in the SC, making existing laws gender neutral, creating mechanisms for false cases to be quashed at police stations during investigations that includes rewards for lawyers or police who help curb false cases. They also demanded that mental health support should be extended to people facing cases in courts.
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