Female Genital Mutilation is a Crime Under Indian Penal Code, Attorney General Tells Supreme Court
The Attorney General (AG) of India KK Venugopal on Female Genital Mutilation said its an offence under IPC law and can attract seven years of imprisonment.
New Delhi, April 19: The government on Friday told the Supreme Court that Female Genital Mutilation is a crime under Indian Penal Code (IPC) act. Attorney General (AG) of India KK Venugopal, who represented the case of Female Genital Mutilation said it's an offence under IPC law and can attract seven years of imprisonment. To recall, the petition filed by advocate Sunita Tiwari challenging the practice prevalent among Dawoodi Bohra community as illegal and unconstitutional.
The AG told the Apex Court that it would also prefer directions to be issued by them in this regard. The Court adjourned the matter and said the next hearing will be held on July 9, 2018. Meanwhile, the Court also issued notices to two more States – Kerala and Telangana. It must be noted that, earlier, the Court had also issued notices to Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Delhi.
The Dawoodi Bohra community practices female genital cutting ritual widely, which typically involves a cut or nick to the clitoral hood. The practice, called 'khatna' or 'khafz' within the community, is defined by the United Nations as Type-I female genital mutilation, which describes this as including either the cutting of the clitoral hood or the partial or total removal of the clitoris, and is usually done to girls at a young age. The process is usually carried out on girl aged between six and 12 years.
The practice is not yet illegal in India, but female genital cutting in any form has been outlawed in several countries around the world, including the United States. Therefore, several activists, NGOs' have come forward to ban the practice in India too and a petition has been filed in SC regarding same.
While the World Health Organisation (WHO) has also not found any health benefits to cutting girls’ genitalia and has said that it may instead cause several negative short and long-term consequences. WHO has said that Female Genital Mutilation leads to infections, cysts, infertility and higher childbirth complications.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 20, 2018 01:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).