Offence of adultery, the 'offence of adultery' as defined in s. 497, IPC, can only be committed by a man, not by a woman. Indeed, the section provides expressly that the wife shall not be punishable even as an abettor. No grievance can then be made that the section does not allow the wife to prosecute the husband for adultery. The contemplation of the law, evidently, is that the wife, who is involved in an illicit relationship with another man, is a victim and not the author of the crime. The offence of adultery, as defined in s. 497, is considered by the Legislature as an offence against the sanctity of the matrimonial home, an act which is committed by a man, as it generally is. Therefore, those men who defile that sanctity are brought within the net of the law, Sowmithri Vishnu v. Union of India, AIR 1985 SC 1618: (1985) Supp SCC 137: (1985) Supp 1 SCR 741.
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