[Al Jazeera] India's top court has ruled that adultery is no longer a crime, declaring the colonial-era law that punished the offence unconstitutional and discriminatory.The court ruled unanimously on Thursday that Section 497, a 158-year-old law, "perpetuates the subordinate status of women, denies dignity and sexual autonomy, and is based on gender stereotypes".
The law criminalised consensual sexual relations between a man and a married woman without the consent of her husband.
Under the law, a man convicted could have faced up to five years in prison and women could neither file a complaint nor be held liable for adultery.
Section 497 has been criticised by rights groups for depriving women of dignity and individual choice, and treating them as the property of men.