The Centre in a written submission to the Delhi High Court filed on January 12 has said that the criminalisation of marital rape 'could open flood gates of false cases being made with ulterior motives'.
It said 'apprehensions of gross misuse of the offence of marital rape cannot be ruled out'.
The Delhi High Court has been hearing a batch of petitions challenging the exception to the rape law stating that any forceful sexual act performed by a man on his wife is not rape as long as she is above 15 years of age.
The Centre also submitted that before a view on criminalisation is taken it needs to be precisely defined what constitutes marital rape and what does not.
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Centre on Friday sought more time to finalise its stand on the matter after the Delhi High Court asked if it wants to withdraw its opposition to criminalisation of marital rape.