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Trigger Warning: The following content contains information on physical violence and sexual violence which some readers may find disturbing.   If a man has control over a woman because of his job or position, and uses this control to make a woman have sex with him, it is a crime.1 The law provides punishment forRead more

Trigger Warning: The following content contains information on physical violence and sexual violence which some readers may find disturbing. The punishment for rape is imprisonment for ten years to life imprisonment, along with a fine1.  The punishment is more severe in the following circumstances: When the survivor is below sixteen years  When the survivor isRead more

Trigger Warning: The following content contains information on physical violence and sexual violence which some readers may find disturbing. Indian law does not criminalise marital rape. The law does not punish a husband for having forcible sexual intercourse with his wife without her consent, unless she is below eighteen years of age (a minor)1.  So,Read more

Trigger Warning: The following content contains information on physical violence and sexual violence which some readers may find disturbing. Sex with a girl who is below eighteen years of age (a minor) is considered as rape, even if the girl consents to have sex1. For example, if a man has sex with a seventeen year-oldRead more

Trigger Warning: The following content contains information on physical violence and sexual violence which some readers may find disturbing. Consent is voluntary, clear and unmistakable agreement by a person who expresses their willingness to take part in a specific sexual act. A woman should understand what she is agreeing to and what the consequences willRead more

[Trigger Warning: This explainer contains information on physical violence, sexual violence, abuse and slurs which some readers may find disturbing.] There are many forms of forceful sexual behaviour that a person might encounter. Some of them are: Forcefully Removing Clothes  Whenever someone forcefully removes or tries to remove a person’s clothes, it is a crime.Read more

[Trigger Warning: This explainer contains information on physical violence, sexual violence, abuse and slurs which some readers may find disturbing.] If someone inappropriately touches a person with a sexual intention, it is a crime under the law. The touch may or may not be forceful, but the perpetrator will still be punished for their actions.Read more

[Trigger Warning: This explainer contains information on physical violence, sexual violence, abuse and slurs which some readers may find disturbing.] If anyone asks fors or demands any sexual favours from a person without their consent and despite their disinterest, then it is a crime. Under the law, only a man can be punished for theRead more

[Trigger Warning: This explainer contains information on physical violence, sexual violence, abuse and slurs which some readers may find disturbing.] If anyone makes any sexual gestures that are insulting and sexual in nature, it is a crime. Under the law, only a man can be punished for the crime1. Some examples of sexual actions andRead more

[Trigger Warning: This explainer contains information on physical violence, sexual violence, abuse and slurs which some readers may find disturbing.] If anyone says anything sexual to or sexually threatens a person, it is a crime under the law. Under the law, only a man can be punished for the crime1. Some examples of sexual remarksRead more

If someone persistently monitors or follows a person’s activity on the internet through email, social networks and instant messaging applications such as WhatsApp etc. it is a crime of cyberstalking.1. Some of the common forms of cyber stalking are2: Persistent contact by someone on different modes of social media, for example, WhatsApp and Facebook. UsingRead more

[Trigger Warning: This explainer contains information on physical violence, sexual violence, abuse and slurs which some readers may find disturbing.] If someone repeatedly contacts a person through calls or texts by the means of a telephone, then, it is a crime under the law. Under the law, only a man can be punished for theRead more

[Trigger Warning: This explainer contains information on physical violence, sexual violence, abuse and slurs which some readers may find disturbing.] It is a crime to physically stalk someone, i.e. someone tries to follow a person wherever they go and contact them even after they have expressed their disinterest. er Under the law, only a manRead more

[Trigger Warning: This explainer contains information on physical violence, sexual violence, abuse and slurs which some readers may find disturbing.] If a person repeatedly follows, contacts or monitors someone despite their disinterest or lack of consent, it is known as stalking. Stalking is a term used for numerous activities done by a person, which whenRead more

[Trigger Warning: This explainer contains information on physical violence, sexual violence, abuse and slurs which some readers may find disturbing.] Everyone has a right to privacy1. This means that anyone can do anything, sexual or not, thinking that no one is watching them (provided that it shouldn’t be illegal). Under the law, only a manRead more

You can complain to the following authorities: Police Go to Police Station An FIR can be filed at any police station or the one nearest to where the crime happened. Anyone, including a friend or relative can also file an FIR on a survivor’s behalf. However, at the time of reporting, the survivor will haveRead more

[Trigger Warning: This explainer contains information on physical violence, sexual violence, abuse and slurs which some readers may find disturbing.] Sexual harassment can happen in several ways. Actions such as following a person on the streets or in any public space, peeping into their bedroom, making sexual gestures at them while they are at workRead more

There is no time limit on when you can file a complaint under this law. You can file a complaint of dowry anytime after marriage. However, you cannot file a complaint after a divorce. The practice of giving, taking, demanding and advertising dowry is illegal. In case you have had to pay dowry at theRead more

If the police officer refuses to file your FIR, then you can take the steps below:  If a Police Officer does not accept your complaint then you can write down your complaint and send it to the Superintendent of Police. If the Superintendent feels that there is merit in your case, then he or sheRead more

Once you have reported the crime by filing an FIR, the officer in charge must send the report to a Magistrate, who will take note of the case without any unnecessary delay, and proceed with the investigation. This is a mandatory step that the police have to follow, as it allows the Magistrate to takeRead more

There are certain offences which are women-related, for which you may want to file an FIR. If you want to give information about any of the following offences, then such information has to be registered by a woman police officer or any other woman officer: Grievous hurt by use of acid Voluntarily throwing or attemptingRead more

An FIR can be filed at any police station. The fact that the crime may not have been committed in that police station’s jurisdiction has no effect on the filing of the complaint. It is mandatory for the police to record the information provided, and then transfer it to the police station in whose area/jurisdictionRead more

If a crime has taken place: Go to the nearest police station: The police station does not necessarily have to be in the area where the crime has been committed. Please download the ‘Indian Police at your call’ app to find the nearest police station. For Android Users: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.nic.bih.thanalocator&hl=en For Apple Users: https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/indian-police-at-your-call/id1177887402?mt=8 When youRead more

You can file an FIR if you are: A victim of a crime. A relative or friend or acquaintance of the victim. You have knowledge about a crime that has taken place or is about to take place. It is not necessary that you must have all the information about the crime in order toRead more

The person who is applying for anticipatory bail has to satisfy or promise to satisfy the following conditions: The person should make themselves available for interrogation by a police officer when required. The person should not, directly, or indirectly induce, threaten or promise any person who knows the facts of the case to stop themRead more

The law allows a person to apply for bail even when he has not been arrested, but fears arrest in the near future. This type of bail is known as anticipatory bail. The police cannot arrest a person who has an anticipatory bail order. Anticipatory bail will kick-in only when an FIR is filed againstRead more

You can get bail for non-bailable crimes. Some cases where you can be granted bail when charged with a non-bailable offence are: If it appears to the officer or the court at any stage of the inquiry or trial that the accused has not committed the non-bailable offence, then the accused can be granted bail.Read more

There are certain situations in which bail can be cancelled. In cases where the Court feels that during the various stages of the proceeding, a person is: Intimidating, bribing or tampering with the witnesses, Trying to abscond or flee. Then the Court may cancel the bail, and re-arrest the person. This is applicable to bothRead more

Refusal of bail can happen in some cases. For non-bailable offences the Court can refuse to grant you bail when the punishment for the crime you have committed has: Death penalty, Prison for life, Jail time of more than 7 years, If the offence is cognizable, Been convicted previously on two or more occasions ofRead more

Bail is when an accused assures the police that he will not run away or commit any more crimes if he released into society. Thus, bail is usually through the following:  Bail Bond Bail bond is the money that a person must deposit with the court when they have been granted bail. It is toRead more

You have a right to bail. This right can be directly exercised in the case of bailable offences. For non-bailable offences, this right is dependent on the discretion of the court. The rationale for granting bail is that, if there is no substantial risk of the accused fleeing, then there should be no reason whyRead more

There are certain crimes for which the police can arrest you without a warrant. Such crimes are known in law as cognizable offences. These crimes are usually of serious nature such as rape, murder, assault etc If any of these scenarios apply to you, then the police do not need a warrant to arrest you:Read more

In cases where the police can arrest someone without a warrant but are of the opinion that arrest is not required, they can issue a notice to such person to appear before the police or any place specified in the notice. However, the precondition to such a notice is that there must be a complaintRead more

The police officers handling the interrogation should bear accurate, visible and clear identification and name tags with their designations. The details of the police personnel who handle your interrogation, must be recorded in a register. The arrested person will be permitted to meet their lawyer during interrogation.Read more

Anyone who is arrested and in custody of the police should be produced before the nearest Magistrate within a period of twenty-four hours of their arrest. The police are required to produce every arrested person before the Magistrate to ensure that there have been legal grounds for the arrest of the person. Copies of allRead more