Will the Supreme Court's statement that there is nothing illegal about premarital sex encourage young couples to cohabit without marriage?
The Supreme Court has dismissed 22 cases filed against actress Khushboo in various parts of Tamil Nadu for remarks that she made about premarital sex and live-in relationships nearly five years ago.
The Supreme Court has dismissed 22 cases filed against actress Khushboo in various parts of Tamil Nadu for remarks that she made about premarital sex and live-in relationships nearly five years ago.
It all began in 2005, when there was a controversy about Khushboo's remarks in an interview for Aids awareness, about the need to practise safe sex. The actress said it was fine for girls to have premarital sex, provided they took precautions to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Later, she said no educated man should expect his wife or girlfriend to be a virgin. Two political parties lashed out at her because of her remarks.
Khushboo says her original interview to India Today magazine was misquoted in a Tamil newspaper, and this incorrect report provoked the different cases against her. She said her remarks about premarital sex and live-in relationships were made as part of a discussion on Aids and HIV.
What is your take on the brouhaha? Was Khushboo right to say what she felt, or did she need to be more circumspect considering her public image? Will the Supreme Court decision act as a deterrent to the moral police? Or will it just boost the trend of young couples cohabiting without marriage?