The Indian Army, in particular, has raised the issue with the Ministry of Defence (MoD), said a senior military officer who did not want to be named. With the quashing of section 497 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalised adultery, the military is worried about “discipline among its ranks”. In the military, the offence of “stealing the affections of brother officer’s wife – a euphemism for adultery – is a serious offence that is a notch below “cowardice” , which is punishable with even death. “Scrapping of [section] 497 therefore has thrown up a difficult situation,” said a second senior military officer who did not want to be named. In August this year, the SC quashed General Court Marshal (GCM) proceedings that found a colonel guilty of adultery.

Source: Hindustan Times September 09, 2019 00:03 UTC