Karnataka HC: Having Sex With Dead Women is Not Illegal in India
Having sex with dead people is not punishable in India. For more details, check out the full story.
In Tumakuru, Karnataka in 2015, a man named Rangaraju killed a 21 year old woman who was returning from computer classes by sliting her throat. After the woman died, Rangaraju had sex with the woman's dead body. Police were on a look out for him and finally arrested him. The Tumakuru District and Sessions court convicted him on two charges. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment with a fine of Rs 50,000 for murder. The second sentence was ten years in jail with a fine of Rs 25,000 for rape. Rangaraju said there was no eyewitness and proof of the murder and rape.
Hence, Rangaraju filed an appeal in the Karnataka High Court. The High Court said, "Rangaraju murdered the girl and the district court’s murder conviction was right. However it is not illegal to have sex with dead body because there are no laws that protect dead women. Hence the conviction for the rape has no merit. This is why we hereby acquit him of the rape charges imposed on him. However the life imprisonment sentence for murder still stands.' Apart from this there was more the Karnataka High Court's judgement.
Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom has outlawed sexual intercourse with corpses. The HC said that the Karnataka State government must create laws that outlaw sexual intercourse with corpses. This would deter people from committing such acts. The HC also said that enjoying sex with dead bodies is called ‘Necrophilia’. It is also a mental disorder. Corpses are stored in hospitals and in private mortuaries, for post-mortem and other procedures. People who like to engage in Necrophilia, purposely take up jobs. It is a psychological problem. They derive pleasure from sexually assaulting the bodies of young dead girls. To prevent all this, the HC recommended the government and the private mortuaries to install CCTV cameras within the next 6 months. To ensure there are no cases like this, they have asked the state government to implement new laws.
