⚠️ Yeh lekh saamanya jaankari hai, kanooni salah nahi. Kanoon aur adaalati vyakhya badal sakti hai. Apne maamle ke liye family law advocate se baat kijiye.
Nahi — adultery India mein crime nahi hai. Na 2018 ke baad purane IPC mein, na 2023 ke naye Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) mein.
Phir bhi yeh sawaal har kuch mahine mein laut aata hai, aur 2026 mein ek nayi wajah se. April 2026 ki ek Supreme Court sunwai ki khabar ke baad kai jagah likha gaya ki adultery "phir se crime ban sakta hai."
Yeh lekh batata hai ki asal mein kya hua — aur kya nahi.
Teen parton mein poori kahani
1. 2018: Section 497 khatam
27 September 2018 ko Supreme Court ki paanch-judge Constitution Bench ne Joseph Shine v. Union of India mein Section 497 IPC ko asanvaidhanik ghoshit kiya (Wikipedia).
Purana kanoon ajeeb tha: sirf mard par case ho sakta tha, aur sirf pati shikaayat kar sakta tha. Patni ko apradhi nahi, "peedit" maana jaata tha — ek tarah se pati ki sampatti. Adaalat ne isi soch ko khaarij kiya.
2. 2023: naye kanoon mein bhi nahi
Jab IPC ko badalne ke liye Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita laaya gaya, toh adultery ka sawaal phir utha.
November 2023 mein Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs ne sifarish ki ki adultery ko gender-neutral roop mein BNS mein rakha jaaye — taaki aadmi aur aurat dono par laagu ho (LiveLaw, 13 Nov 2023).
Lekin December 2023 mein jab Bill dobara pesh hua, toh usmein adultery apradh ke roop mein tha hi nahi. Committee ki yeh sifarish maani nahi gayi (Open Magazine, 15 Dec 2023).
Yahi BNS ab IPC ki jagah laagu hai — aur usmein adultery koi apradh nahi hai.
3. 2026: jo sunwai hui, aur uska asli daayra
8 April 2026 ko Centre ne Supreme Court se kaha ki Joseph Shine aur Navtej Singh Johar — dono faisle "constitutional morality" ke vyaktigat prayog par tike the aur unhein "not a good law" ghoshit kiya jaana chahiye (The Tribune / PTI).
Isi khabar se "adultery phir crime banega" wali headlines bani. Lekin report ko poora padhne par teen baatein saaf hoti hain:
Yeh adultery ka case nahi tha. Sunwai CJI Surya Kant ki adhyakshata wali nine-judge bench ke saamne thi, Sabarimala se jude dharmik-sthalon par mahilaon ke saath bhedbhaav aur dharmik swatantrata ke daayre ke maamle mein. Sawaal yeh tha ki Articles 25–26 mein "morality" ka matlab kya hai.
Centre ne tark par sawaal uthaya, apradh par nahi. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta ki aalochna Joseph Shine ke tark — "constitutional morality" ko judicial review ki kasauti banane — par thi.
Aur Centre ne khud saaf likha ki Section 497 ki validity par koi tark nahi diya ja raha, kyunki wo us reference ke daayre mein nahi hai. Report ke mutabik likhit submission ke shabd the: "No arguments are advanced on the validity of Section 497… as they are not within the scope of reference."
Toh kya adultery phir crime ban sakta hai?
Is sunwai ke zariye seedhe taur par nahi — aur iski ek aur wajah hai jo zyadatar headlines chhod deti hain.
IPC ab laagu hi nahi hai, aur BNS mein adultery naam ka koi apradh nahi hai. Matlab, agar kabhi Joseph Shine ke tark ko galat bhi kaha jaaye, toh "wapas laagu" karne ke liye koi dhara maujood nahi hai. Kisi ko aise kaam ke liye saza nahi di ja sakti jo kanoon mein apradh ke roop mein likha hi na ho.
Aisa koi bhi badlav naye kanoon se hi ho sakta hai — yaani Parliament ke zariye.
Is lekh ke likhne tak (16 October 2026) hamein is nine-judge reference mein koi faisla report hua nahi mila. Faisla aane par hum ise update karenge.
Adultery ke jo kanooni nateeje aaj bhi hain
Crime na hona ka matlab "koi nateeja nahi" nahi hai. Teen jagah yeh aaj bhi maayne rakhta hai:
| Kshetra | Kya hota hai |
|---|---|
| Talaak | Hindu Marriage Act ki Section 13(1)(i) ke tahat talaak ka aadhar |
| Parivaarik maamle | Talaak, custody ya maintenance ke vivaad mein yeh sawaal uth sakta hai — har maamle mein tathya alag |
| Armed forces | Service kanoon ke tahat disciplinary action ho sakta hai (neeche dekhiye) |
Talaak ke maamle mein saboot ka sawaal bahut ahem hai, aur 2025–26 mein adaalaton ne iske standard saaf kiye hain — Court mein adultery kaise sabit hota hai mein vistaar se.
Armed forces: ek alag niyam
31 January 2023 ko Supreme Court ne spasht kiya ki Joseph Shine ka faisla armed forces par us tarah laagu nahi hota jaisa aam nagrikon par. Sarkar ka tark tha ki sainik Article 33 ke tahat ek "alag varg" hain aur Army Act 1950 jaise apne kanoon ke adheen hain — adaalat ne yeh maana (Wikipedia).
Matlab: fauj mein adultery aaj bhi disciplinary action ki wajah ban sakta hai, bhale hi wo criminal apradh na ho.
Aam galatfehmiyan
| Galatfehmi | Sach |
|---|---|
| "Affair par police case ho sakta hai" | Adultery ke liye koi criminal case nahi |
| "BNS ne adultery wapas laa diya" | Committee ne sifarish ki thi, kanoon mein shaamil nahi hua |
| "SC ise phir crime banane wala hai" | April 2026 ki sunwai mein Centre ne khud kaha ki 497 ki validity daayre mein nahi |
| "Crime nahi toh koi nateeja nahi" | Talaak ka aadhar hai, aur fauj mein disciplinary action ho sakta hai |
| "Sirf aadmi par laagu hota tha, ab sirf aurat par" | Ab kisi par bhi criminal kanoon laagu nahi |
Aakhri baat
Adultery ka kanoon India mein ek seedhi line mein badla hai:
- 2018 — Joseph Shine ke baad criminal kanoon se bahar
- 2023 — naye BNS mein bhi bahar, committee ki sifarish ke baawajood
- 2026 — nine-judge sunwai mein bhi, jo report hua uske mutabik, Section 497 ki validity par sawaal nahi
Jo badla nahi hai, wo yeh hai ki shaadi ke andar iske nateeje gambhir ho sakte hain — talaak se lekar parivaarik vivaadon tak. Aur wahan har cheez tathyon aur saboot par tay hoti hai.
⚠️ Dobara: yeh kanooni salah nahi hai. Apni sthiti ke liye kisi qualified family law advocate se salah lijiye.
→ Sambandhit: Court mein adultery kaise sabit hota hai · India ka divorce rate: asli data · Extramarital affair: complete guide
Sources: The Tribune / PTI — Centre's submission before the nine-judge bench (8 Apr 2026) · LiveLaw — Parliamentary panel recommends gender-neutral adultery offence (13 Nov 2023) · Open Magazine — 'A Farewell to the Crime of Adultery' (15 Dec 2023) · Joseph Shine v. Union of India, including the 31 Jan 2023 armed-forces clarification
