What is Necrophilia? Meaning, Cases, Disorder

Necrophilia is a major topic these days in society. Many internet users are looking to know what the actual meaning of necrophilia is, some are confused about which category necrophilia comes in Law or Medical.

Necrophilia Meaning

The word Necrophilia is borrowed from German & French. “Necrophilia is an obsession with and usually erotic interest in or stimulation by corpses”. In simple words, a person who has an interest in having sex with dead bodies, a person who gets sexual attraction by seeing a human dead body is known as Necrophilia person and it is a type of Specified Paraphilic Disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

The World Health Organization (WHO) categorizes it as paraphilia in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD) diagnostic manual, and the American Psychiatric Association categorizes it as schizophrenia in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM).

Some More Details About Necrophilia

Necrophilia is also known as necrolagnia, necrophilism, necrocoitus, necrochlesis, and thanatophilia. In humans, it gets to see very little but has been observed in mammals, birds, reptiles, and frogs.

Let’s dig deep down about Necrophilia. Here, we are sharing some of our personal views about Necrophilia after reading all the documents and articles about necrophile.

Necrophilia or Necrophile are both the same terms which are called in a medical niche.

Necrophilia is a paraphilia in which the perpetrator finds sexual pleasure in having sex with the deceased.

What is Paraphilic?

Paraphilic erotic behaviors include powerful and persistent desires to bind, cut, spank, strangle, or whip another person. Paraphilic targets might include children, corpses, nonhuman animals like horses or dogs, or inanimate objects like food or shoes.

There is some evidence that inhabitants of the Moche civilization in what is now Peru believed that having sex with a dead body gave a mystical connection with the deceased, although necrophilia has historically been an uncommon and unusual phenomenon. The word is derived from the Greek words nekros, which means “death,” and philia, which means “love or affection.”

Most jurisdictions and nations have laws against this practice. Necrophile has several varieties.

Necrophilia Cases

A case of Necrophilia has happened in India Karnataka State it’s come in the eyes of law. A young woman was murdered & raped in 2015. According to a case in the Karnataka High Court titled “Rangaraju @Vajapeyi vs State of Karnataka,” Necrophilia can originate from feelings of anger, curiosity, or lust rather than being forced by a sexual condition or habit. 

In India, as of now, the Indian Penal Code (IPC) does not explicitly mention “necrophilia” as a distinct offense under the section that deals with sexual offenses. 

However, the court indicated that it could potentially fall under Section 297, which pertains to compelling “indignity to any human corpse” when someone trespasses into a place used for funeral rites or storing the remains of the deceased. Nevertheless, for an act to be viewed as an offense under Section 297, it must be accompanied by an intention to hurt someone’s feelings or insult their religion.

The Supreme Court rejects the Karnataka government’s argument that sexual acts on a dead body constitute a ‘rape’ offense on February 04, 2025. The court noticed that the accused had sexual contact with a dead body. However, the court concluded that this act did not constitute rape under Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code (‘IPC’). This is because rape requires the existence of a living human being, which a dead body cannot consider.

Necrophilia is not recognized as an offense under Indian Penal Laws, hence it cannot overturn the High Court’s part acquit ruling in a case where the accused had sex with the deceased’s body after murdering her. One example has been documented in which someone had sex with a dead body prompted by the deceased’s wishes. A woman in Zimbabwe had sex with her deceased husband’s body according to his wishes (recorded in his will) and the influence of family members, who induced her to do so.