As the National Commission for Women(NCW) shoots down the proposal to amend Section 497 of Indian Penal Code, the issue has touched a taboo having important implications on India’s moral and social fabric. The section, it must be mentioned, makes illegal any punishment meted out by husband to a wife for adultery. Though no credible statistics are available as to how many Indian women actually indulge in adultery but any change of law could have led to serious reper-cussions in a society where women are historically under- privileged and are more considered as a symbol of man’s possession. Another dimension, however, points to several unplugged flaws in the system. Adultery, desertion, impotency, chronic disease and cruelty remain the infamous five grounds for divorce in India. But ironically, both cruelty and adultery lack commonly accepted definition leaving the legal field wide open for manipulation (mostly against women). National Commission for Women needs to go beyond ultra-feminism and concentrate on these unglamourous but lethal ground realities.