HC: Wife’s Privacy Isn’t Husband’s Right
• No Escape for Husband in Intimate Video Scandal
• Court Stands Firm: Privacy Breach Won’t Be Ignored
Unmesh Gujarathi
Sprouts News Exclusive
Sprouts News reports that the Allahabad High Court has refused to quash criminal proceedings against a man accused of uploading an intimate video of himself and his wife on Facebook. Justice Vinod Diwakar ruled that the act was a severe breach of marital trust and violated the wife’s right to privacy.
According to Sprouts News, the Court emphasized that a husband is expected to respect the confidentiality of his marital relationship. Justice Diwakar noted that marriage does not grant a husband ownership or control over his wife, nor does it diminish her autonomy. “A wife is not an extension of her husband but an individual with her own rights, desires, and agency. Respecting her bodily autonomy and privacy is both a legal and moral duty,” the Court stated.
The accused had filed a plea to dismiss the case pending against him in Mirzapur since 2022 under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act. His defense argued that since he was the complainant’s husband, no case was warranted, and the matter could be settled. However, the prosecution maintained that the accused had secretly recorded the intimate act and shared it on Facebook, later distributing it to the wife’s cousin and other villagers.
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Sprouts News further reports that, given the severity of the allegations, the Court refused to drop the charges. The Court concluded that the proceedings were not initiated with malicious intent or personal vendetta, affirming that the case would move forward.