Paper Title
A Revisit to Sec 497 IPC & The Role of Judiciary in Enhancing Women's Dignity

Abstract
Without the consent or connivance of that man, whoever has sexual intercourse with a person who is and whom he knows or has reason to believe to be the wife of another man, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape, is guilty of adultery, and shall be punished with imprisonment of any description for a term which may extend to five years, or with both. In this scenario, the wife is not liable under section 497 IPC, even though she aids and abets the crime. On closer inspection, it was discovered that the section's clause is a kind of romanticizing paternalism based on the premise that women, like chattels, are men's property. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that Section 497 of the IPC is not gender neutral. The married woman may have knowingly committed adultery, but the simple classification that she would be excluded contradicts the principles of equality. Sec 497 IPC was not only racist, but it also harmed men's individuality. Finally, the paper will make any recommendations. Keywords - Gender, Adultery, Women, Patriarchy, Sec 497 IPC