The Supreme Court asked the centre and states to ensure the practice is stopped.
New Delhi:
The Supreme Court today slammed the use of “two-finger test” in cases of rape and sexual assault and asked the centre and states to ensure the practice is stopped.
The practice has no scientific basis to acertain the sexual history of women, and it instead re-traumatises them, the Supreme Court said as it ruled that any individual conducting the “two-finger test” on a survivor will be held guilty of misconduct.
“It is patriarchal and sexist to suggest that a woman cannot be believed when she states that she was raped merely because she is sexually active,” the top court said.
A Supreme Court bench comprising Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli made these observations while restoring conviction in a rape case.
The bench overturned a Jharkhand High Court’s ruling acquitting a rape and murder convict, and upheld a decision of a trial court holding him guilty.
It also directed the centre and the states to review curriculums in all government and private medical colleges and have the study materials on “two-finger test” removed.
The Supreme Court also asked the health ministry to communicate the order to the concerned authorities in all states and to conduct workshops on appropriate procedure examining of survivors of sexual assault.
Source link: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/two-finger-test-to-confirm-rape-patriarchal-sexist-supreme-court-asks-government-to-ensure-it-is-stopped-3475887