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Revisiting Liberty of Woman Under Rape Laws in India with Reference to Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita: A Critical Legal Analysis

Unnes Law Journal · Vol. 12 No. 1 (2026) · hlm. 83–118

DOI
10.15294/ulj.v12i1.48005
ISSN
2252-6536
Terbit
2026-05-16
Penerbit
Universitas Negeri Semarang
Bahasa
eng
Lisensi
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0

Abstrak

Rape was clearly defined as an offence in the Indian Penal Code of 1860, drafted by the First Law Commission. For over a century, criminal laws relating to rape cases remained unchanged until the Mathura Custodial Rape Case prompted the Criminal Law (Second Amendment) Act of 1983. Subsequent legislative responses followed major cases, the 2012 Delhi Rape Case led to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, which provided for the death penalty in rape cases in which the death of the victim is caused or she is left in a vegetative state; the Unnao Rape Case of 2017 precipitated the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018, which made the punishment more strict and inserted several provisions; and in July 2024, new criminal laws were enforced. Despite these successive legislative interventions, each considered revolutionary in its time, heinous incidents have continued unabated, from the Hyderabad Rape Case of 2019 and the Hathras Rape Case of 2020 to the Kolkata Rape Case of August 2024. The cases from Mathura custodial rape to Kolkata rape have witnessed no change in the mentality of the society, which revolves around gender injustice and questions the physical appearance of a girl/woman. This paper analyses the rape laws through a critical examination of the after-effects of the 2013 and 2018 amendments of old criminal laws and the provisions of new criminal laws. It also traces the evolving meaning of the "personal liberty" of women across this period. The analysis reveals that deterrent laws have become a necessity, yet their implementation in society remains ineffective. The core cause behind these recurring cases lies not merely in legislative gaps but in deeply entrenched social attitudes that successive amendments have failed to address. Legislative reform alone cannot deliver justice when societal mentality remains unchanged. This paper employs a doctrinal-analytical method, drawing on constitutional provisions, statutory texts, Supreme Court jurisprudence, parliamentary committee reports, and National Crime Records Bureau data to critically examine the legislative and judicial treatment of rape law in India. This paper criticizes the gap between law on paper and law in action, underscoring that the personal liberty of women demands not only stronger legal frameworks but their meaningful and consistent enforcement.

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  • State University of Semarang
  • University of Lucknow
  • Diponegoro University
  • Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta
  • Moldova State University
  • Villa College
  • Mahidol University
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Rekan penulisOrganisasiArtikel bersama
Niharika KumarUniversity of Lucknow4
Aprila NiravitaState University of Semarang2
Indah Sri UtariState University of Semarang1
Herry SubondoState University of Semarang1
Suhadi SuhadiState University of Semarang1
Ali MasyharState University of Semarang1
Rodiyah RodiyahState University of Semarang1
Muhammad Adymas Hikal FikriState University of Semarang1
Anik NovitaState University of Semarang1
Eky LestariState University of Semarang1
Tajudeen SanniVilla College1
Kanya SrisawatMahidol University1
Zhang MinTsinghua University1
Ngboawaji Daniel NteNovena University1
Anissaa Nuril ChasanahState University of Semarang1
Pratama Herry HerlambangState University of Semarang1
Desty Puspita MaharaniState University of Semarang1
Karishma VermaUniversity of Lucknow1
Swikar SankritUniversity of Lucknow1
Wol Deng Akech AkechCatholic University of South Sudan1
Pujiyono PujiyonoDiponegoro University1
Bagus Hendradi KusumaState University of Semarang1
Izan Mateo CassandroAfiliasi tidak diketahui1
Barda Nawawi AriefDiponegoro University1
Yossica Ariatami EdwinaMuhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta1
Putra Alfa RizkiMuhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta1
Phuvadech RasamichaiChiang Mai University1
Riska AlkadriState University of Semarang1
Robert Brian SmithUniversity of New England1
Nucharee Nuchkoom SmithKasetsart University1
Wahyudin WahyudinAfiliasi tidak diketahui1
Lutfi Erlangga Risky UtomoState University of Semarang1
Sumarno SumarnoState University of Semarang1
Joan Antonio GonzalesUniversidad Carlos III de Madrid1

Afiliasi berasal dari OpenAlex; metadata OAI-PMH jurnal tidak memuatnya. Penulis tanpa ID OpenAlex dicocokkan berdasarkan nama, sehingga dua orang bisa tergabung atau satu orang bisa terpisah.

Sumber metadata: OAI-PMH (metadata jurnal) https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/ulj/oai, pertama di-harvest 6 Nov 2026, terakhir terlihat 8 Nov 2026.
Metadata asli (oai_dc)
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	<dc:title xml:lang="en">Revisiting Liberty of Woman Under Rape Laws in India with Reference to Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita: A Critical Legal Analysis</dc:title>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Singh, Manjari</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Arifin, Ridwan</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Chhachhar, Varun</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Gorbatiuc, Marina</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Singh, Shobhit Pratap</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Singh, Prashant</dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Women Protection</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Rape Law</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Penal Reform</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">India</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en">Rape was clearly defined as an offence in the Indian Penal Code of 1860, drafted by the First Law Commission. For over a century, criminal laws relating to rape cases remained unchanged until the Mathura Custodial Rape Case prompted the Criminal Law (Second Amendment) Act of 1983. Subsequent legislative responses followed major cases, the 2012 Delhi Rape Case led to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, which provided for the death penalty in rape cases in which the death of the victim is caused or she is left in a vegetative state; the Unnao Rape Case of 2017 precipitated the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018, which made the punishment more strict and inserted several provisions; and in July 2024, new criminal laws were enforced. Despite these successive legislative interventions, each considered revolutionary in its time, heinous incidents have continued unabated, from the Hyderabad Rape Case of 2019 and the Hathras Rape Case of 2020 to the Kolkata Rape Case of August 2024. The cases from Mathura custodial rape to Kolkata rape have witnessed no change in the mentality of the society, which revolves around gender injustice and questions the physical appearance of a girl/woman. This paper analyses the rape laws through a critical examination of the after-effects of the 2013 and 2018 amendments of old criminal laws and the provisions of new criminal laws. It also traces the evolving meaning of the "personal liberty" of women across this period. The analysis reveals that deterrent laws have become a necessity, yet their implementation in society remains ineffective. The core cause behind these recurring cases lies not merely in legislative gaps but in deeply entrenched social attitudes that successive amendments have failed to address. Legislative reform alone cannot deliver justice when societal mentality remains unchanged. This paper employs a doctrinal-analytical method, drawing on constitutional provisions, statutory texts, Supreme Court jurisprudence, parliamentary committee reports, and National Crime Records Bureau data to critically examine the legislative and judicial treatment of rape law in India. This paper criticizes the gap between law on paper and law in action, underscoring that the personal liberty of women demands not only stronger legal frameworks but their meaningful and consistent enforcement.</dc:description>
	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en">Universitas Negeri Semarang</dc:publisher>
	<dc:date>2026-05-16</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion</dc:type>
	<dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
	<dc:identifier>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/ulj/article/view/48005</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.15294/ulj.v12i1.48005</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en">Unnes Law Journal; Vol. 12 No. 1 (2026): Transforming Law and Protecting Rights: Contemporary Issues in Legal Reform and Governance; 83-118</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2252-6536</dc:source>
	<dc:source>10.15294/ulj.v12i1</dc:source>
	<dc:language>eng</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/ulj/article/view/48005/9736</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">Copyright (c) 2026 Manjari Singh, Ridwan Arifin, Varun Chhachhar , Marina Gorbatiuc, Shobhit Pratap Singh, Prashant Singh (Author)</dc:rights>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0</dc:rights>
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