The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed all the 22 criminal cases filed against Tamil actress Khushboo Sundar for her remarks on pre-marital sex. A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, and Justices Deepak Verma and B S Chauhan, accepted her plea against the Madras High Court decision and quashed the cases against her.
According to Khushboo, her remarks on pre-marital sex and living together were made as part of a discussion on AIDS and HIV to Tamil newspaper in 2005. In an interview for an AIDS awareness campaign, talking about the need for protective sex, Khushboo said it was fine for girls to have pre-marital sex, but not without taking precautions to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Later, she added that no educated man should expect his wife or girlfriend to be a virgin.
Two political parties - the Dalit Panthers of India and the Pattali Makkal Katchi - lashed out at her because of the remarks. Cases were filed in the Madras High Court under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code for indecent representation of women.
Khushboo, feeling relieved at the final judiciary outcome, said the support of the Supreme Court has further strengthened her position on the issue. She said she was sure of herself, and always knew that what she said was right.