Diya K B
Crimes against woman is a grave violation of human rights and poses a serious challenge to the Indian criminal justice system. These crimes encompass a wide range of offences, including sexual violence, domestic abuse, cruelty within marriage, offences against dignity and modesty, workplace harassment, trafficking, and other forms of physical, verbal, and psychological violence. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS) represents a significant legislative effort to understand and modernise the criminal law framework governing offences against woman, with an emphasis on protection of bodily integrity, dignity and autonomy. This paper examines the legal framework addressing crimes against woman under the BNS, while also referring to legislations and constitutional safeguards. It also adopts a doctrinal and analytical approach to categorise and analyse offences recognized under the BNS, hence mapping the statutory protection available to women over private and public spheres. While the legislation provides for strict penal provisions, the effectiveness of these laws mainly depends on judicial interpretation and enforcement mechanisms. The study critically analyses the role of the judiciary in strengthening women’s rights through landmark cases such as Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan, which laid the foundation for workplace sexual harassment guidelines; Mukesh v. State (NCT of Delhi), which upheld the seriousness of sexual offences and the need for strict punishment, and also in the case Shayara Bano v. Union of India, which talked about women’s constitutional rights to equality and dignity within marriage. These cases illustrate how judicial intervention has addressed legislative gaps and expanded the scope of protection for woman. Despite a very advanced legal framework, the paper brings out the challenges in addressing crimes against woman, including society norms, societal stigma, barriers, and lack of victim support systems. The research highlights the continuing gap between law in principle and law in practice. The paper concludes that meaningful definitions of crimes against woman requires not only strong measures but also on how the laws are implemented in real life, and broader social transformation to ensure justice in India.