Protection of Men under Criminal Law: A Forgotten Dimension of Gender Justice

The legal and policy environment around male victims of intimate relationships and domestic abuse in India is examined in this article. India’s legal system, particularly the Protection of Women from Domestic Abuse Act (PWDVA), 2005, denies males the civil remedies and protections afforded to women, despite mounting factual evidence that men suffer from high rates of marital abuse. Men can still pursue criminal remedies for IPC offences, including assault and criminal intimidation, but they are frequently insufficient to address the range of domestic violence. In addition to discussing the socio-cultural and institutional barriers that make male victimhood ‘invisible,’ the paper critically analyses doctrinal, empirical, and comparative literature. It also assesses judicial trends and the policy debate surrounding the alleged misuse of gendered provisions (such as Section 498A IPC) and suggests a calibrated reform agenda that strikes a balance between protection for all victims, safeguards against misuse, improved data collection, and victim-centred support services. Instead of a general gender-neutralisation that runs the danger of eliminating the structural justifications for women-specific safeguards, the paper makes the case for targeted legislative and administrative changes.