New Delhi (CNN)India’s top court has abolished a colonial-era law criminalizing extramarital sex, in a landmark ruling campaigners have hailed as a victory for women’s rights.
Under the 158-year-old adultery law, known as section 479, a man could be imprisoned for up to five years for engaging in sexual relations with a married woman without the consent of her husband.
The Supreme Court struck down the law Thursday, ruling it retrograde and discriminatory towards women.
