Bridging the Normative Gap: A Comparative Analysis of Indonesia's Adultery Law and Islamic Criminal Jurisprudence in the Era of Criminal Code Reform
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53905/Veritas.v1i01.3Keywords:
adultery, article 284 kuhp, delik aduan, fiqh jinayah, islamic criminal law, juridical analysis, maqasid al-shari'ahAbstract
Purpose of the study: Article 284 of the Indonesian Criminal Code (KUHP), a colonial-era Dutch legal instrument, provides a narrow and contested framework for the criminalization of adultery. It restricts prosecution to cases where at least one party is legally married and requires a formal complaint (delik aduan) from the aggrieved spouse, leaving unmarried adults engaged in sexual relations legally unpunishable. This stands in fundamental tension with Islamic criminal law (fiqh jinayah), which broadly prohibits all sexual intercourse outside of lawful marriage. This study aims to conduct a juridical analysis of Article 284 KUHP from the perspective of Islamic criminal law, identifying normative gaps, comparative legal disparities, and implications for criminal law reform in Indonesia
Methodology: A normative legal research methodology was employed, utilizing doctrinal analysis, comparative legal analysis (comparative law), and statutory interpretation. Primary legal sources include the KUHP, the Quran, Hadith, classical fiqh jurisprudence, and relevant Indonesian legislation. Secondary sources include Scopus- and WOS-indexed academic literature
Results: The analysis reveals eleven structural weaknesses in Article 284 KUHP relative to Islamic criminal law, across dimensions of legal formulation, perpetrator scope, criminal sanctions, legal sources, and enforcement mechanisms. Islamic criminal law classifies zina as a hudud offense, applicable to all morally competent adults regardless of marital status, with graduated punishments (100 lashes for ghairu muhsan; rajam for muhsan), requiring no private complaint.
Conclusions: Article 284 KUHP inadequately reflects Indonesia's social and religious values as a Muslim-majority nation. Comprehensive criminal law reform is urgently needed, as partially reflected in the New Criminal Code (R-KUHP 2022/KUHP 2023), though significant gaps remain. The study advocates for a progressive harmonization of positive law with maqasid al-shari'ah principles within the bounds of Indonesia's pluralist legal system.
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