Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, who is demitting office on November 10, Wednesday deferred hearing by four weeks on pleas challenging the immunity granted to husbands in cases of marital rape.
The CJI said he will not be able to conclude the hearing and render the verdict if the hearing does not conclude before the top court closes for Diwali vacation.
The bench, also comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, fixed the pleas for hearing after four weeks by another bench.
It commenced the hearing on October 17. The Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) grant immunity from prosecution to a husband for the offence of rape if he forces his wife, who is not a minor, to have sex with him.