Page 394 - Social Issues
NHRC notices to Bihar Govt, DGP over assault, attempt to suicide allegations
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday sent notices to the Bihar government and the state's Director General of Police over reports of two separate cases, including assault and attempt to suicide."The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC has taken suo motu cognizance of media report that a minor girl was assaulted, tonsured and paraded naked after having been dragged out from her house by six persons in Araria district of Bihar on the 31st August, 2018. Reportedly, her tormentors also tried to mutilate her private parts. The news report carried another story in the box stating that after Muzaffarpur and Patna, a shelter home in Begusarai district of Bihar has come under the scanner when one of its residents tried to commit suicide by consuming glass pieces on the 2nd September, 2018," read a statement.The Commission has issued notices to the "Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Bihar calling for a detailed/factual report on both the incidents ...
Homosexuality is against nature, religion: Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind
After the Supreme Court decriminalised Section 377 on Thursday, a leading Muslim organisation called Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind said homosexuality is against nature, religion and cultural values. Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind's General Secretary Maulana Mahmood Madani said, "Homosexuality is against nature, religion and cultural values ??of India. It should not have been allowed." "A process which affects the growth of society cannot be termed right by calling it freedom. Homosexuals have been here since ages, but in the religious texts, homosexuality has been described as an act of rebellion against the laws of nature," he said. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra termed the part of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which criminalises unnatural sex as irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary.
IPS officer who attempted suicide still critical: Kanpur Addl DGP
The condition of 2014-batch IPS officer Surendra Kumar Das, who had allegedly consumed poison due to marital discord, continued to be very critical on Thursday. "Das, who had attempted suicide yesterday, is on ventilator for respiratory support and the next 36 hours are very crucial," said Kanpur's Additional DGP Avinash Chandra. His treatment is going on with the help of ECMO (Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation), an advanced medical setup, used for critically-ill patients of poisoning, he said, adding the setup has been brought to the city from Mumbai. A team of doctors has also arrived from Mumbai to assist the local doctors, he said. The relatives of the officer who reside in Lucknow too have reached Kanpur. A one-page hand-written suicide note was recovered from the spot where the officer was found unconscious and it is being sent to the hand-writing experts for examination, said City Superintendent of Police (West) Sanjiv Suman. It seems the officer had taken the extreme step
30-yr-old man, woman commits suicide by jumping in front of train
A 30-year-old man and a woman five years elder to him committed suicide by jumping in front of a train here, police said Thursday. SHO of the Murad Nagar police station Lakshendra Kumar said both of them were living in Ordinance Factory quarters. The deceased were identified as Bublee and Raju. According to the SHO, they both were relatives and the possibility of a love affair between the two could not be ruled out.
ABVP holds protest against Ram Kadam
RSS-affiliated Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) Thursday staged a protest against BJP MLA Ram Kadam here and demanded that the BJP act against him over his controversial remarks. Kadam had told youngsters at a Dahi Handi event in suburban Ghatkopar on Monday that he would "abduct" a girl they like even if she rejects their proposal. After facing flak from various quarters, Kadam expressed his apology on twitter. Around 25 activists of the ABVP carrying posters of the Ghatkopar (West) MLA in their hands gathered at Ghatkopar railway station in eastern Mumbai and blackened them. Aniket Ohval, the Pradesh Mantri, Konkan Prant of ABVP, termed Kadam's remark as "unfortunate and unforgivable". "Kadam's misogynistic remark cannot be ignored. We have asked the BJP, state Women Commission as well as Mumbai Police to take suitable action against the MLA. He doesn't even have basic courtesy to apologise for his distasteful comments," he said. Raju Mandave, ABVP organising ...
MNCs see SC verdict on section 377 to push equality among workforce
Multi-national firms feel partial scrapping of section 377 by the Supreme Court liberates rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community and will push for equality among workforce. Lauding the apex court judgement, US based firm Salesforce said that the decision is a huge step towards ensuring equality for all in the world's largest democracy. "At Salesforce, we have always championed the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and fostered a culture where employees are encouraged to bring their whole, authentic selves to work," Shweta Rajpal Kohli, Director - Public Policy & Govt Affairs, Salesforce, India said in a statement. A five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously decriminalised part of the 158-year-old colonial law under Section 377 of the IPC, which criminalises consensual unnatural sex, saying it violated the rights to equality. The constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra termed the part of Section 377 of .
Merkel: A weak Turkey not in German strategic interest
Chancellor Angela Merkel says despite "serious disputes" with Turkey, it is in Germany's "strategic interest" not to take measures that would weaken its economy further. Tensions between Germany and Turkey have risen over a number of issues, including the imprisonment of several German citizens for what Berlin argues are political reasons. But a deal with Turkey has also been critical to slowing the migrant influx to Europe, and Turkey is a key NATO member. Merkel told RTL television Thursday: "We can't always think in black and white." With an eye on Turkey's plummeting lira and economic woes, she said: "we have a strategic interest in a sound economic development in Turkey ... If we act in a way that would weaken Turkey that would not be in our interest.
UN chief welcomes SC decision to decriminalise gay sex with hashtag LoveWins
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres Thursday welcomed the landmark ruling by the Supreme Court to annul part of the Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises consensual gay sex. "Discrimination and prejudice are always irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary", as Chief Justice Misra says. I welcome today's decision by India's highest court #LoveWins," Guterres tweeted, quoting Chief Justice Dipak Misra's remarks. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Misra unanimously held Thursday that the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community possess the same constitutional rights as other citizens of the country. The bench termed sexual orientation as a "biological phenomenon" and "natural" and held that any discrimination on this ground was violative of the fundamental rights. The top court decriminalised part of the Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises consensual gay sex, saying it was irrational, indefensible .
Google homepage puts up 'gay pride' flag after SC verdict, FB changes DP
Google India put out a 'rainbow flag' on its homepage on Thursday to mark the decriminalisation of consensual gay sex by the Supreme Court. The internet giant, known for its timely theme doodle on various occasions put the colourful icon below the search bar on its webpage. A message 'celebrating equals rights' pops up when a cursor is moved over it. The India page of social media behemoth Facebook also changed its display picture to a multi-hued icon. The rainbow flag, commonly known as the gay pride flag or LGBT pride flag, is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) pride and LGBT social movements. No sooner the judgment was announced, celebrations erupted as people from the community rejoiced in the streets, by dancing and waving rainbow flags with gay abandon. The apex court unanimously held that consensual sex among adult homosexuals or heterosexuals in private space is not a crime, as it struck down part of a British-era law that criminalised it. The ...
LGBTQ community celebrates SC order with enthusiasm in Delhi
A few hours after the Supreme Court on Thursday announced its historical judgment on Section 377 by decriminalising homosexuality, members of the LGBTQ community gathered here along with their supporters to celebrate the landmark decision.
Right to health at stake in struggle for equality amongst gender and sexual minorities: SC
The members of the LGBT community cannot be said to be suffering from any "mental disorder" as the right to health was one of the key rights at stake in the "struggle" for equality amongst gender and sexual minorities, the Supreme Court said Thursday. While striking down part of section 377 of the IPC that criminalises consensual gay sex, a constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said that sexual orientation was one of the many biological phenomena which was natural and inherent in an individual. Justices R F Nariman, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, in their separate concurring verdicts, discussed extensively about the right to health of the community. Justice Chandrachud said that "exclusion, discrimination and marginalization" of the LGBT community was rooted in "societal heteronormativity and society's pervasive bias towards gender binary and opposite-gender relationships". This, he said, has important implications for an individual's health-seeking behaviour, how
AIDWA welcomes apex court verdict on homosexuality
All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) Thursday welcomed the the Supreme Court verdict legalizing gay sex among consenting adults. The judgment in effect legally recognises homosexuality and whittles down a 158-year-old colonial law which led to "immense suffering" and discrimination against the LGBTQ community, the women's wing of the Communist Party of India stated in a statement. "AIDWA welcomes the historic and path breaking Supreme Court judgment in the Navtej Singh Johar case which decriminalizes consensual sex between adults in the LGBTQ community and amongst others," it also stated.
Put in system for auto release of pension to poor AIDS patients: HC to Delhi govt
The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the AAP government to put in place a system which would automatically release pension amounts to poor people suffering from the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), just like various subsidies are paid into the bank accounts. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao asked the Delhi government to specify the time period within which the financial assistance would be released. "Release it automatically, like subsidies are released. Put in place such a system. Specify the time period within which the amounts under the scheme would be transferred," the court said and listed the matter for further hearing on October 8. It also asked the government to consider granting travel concessions, like bus passes, to AIDS patients so that they can access public transport free of cost. The suggestion was given by the court after advocate Ajay Verma, appointed as amicus curiae in the matter, told the bench that states of Tamil Nadu ...
SC quotes philosophers, writers in judgement on gay sex
Let us move from darkness to light, from bigotry to tolerance and from the winter of mere survival to the spring of life as the herald of a New India to a more inclusive society. This was one of the several quotable quotes in the historic Supreme Court judgement which Thursday ruled that consensual gay sex is not a crime. The lines were penned by Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice A M Khanwilkar, who wrote the main 166-page judgement, observing that "denial of self-expression is inviting death". Thinkers, philosophers, writers, poets from ancient history to contemporary times were mentioned in the landmark verdict on decriminalisation of consensual sex between two consenting adults. CJI Misra and Justice Khanwilkar referred to German thinker, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, philosophers Arthur Schopenhauer, John Stuart Mill and writer and playwright William Shakespeare in their judgement to deal with the issue of individuality and freedom of expression. "To change the societal bias and
Fmr UN secy-gen for greater political will from India to achieve universal health coverage
Former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon Thursday urged India to put "more political will" and push public financing in the health sector to achieve universal health coverage in the country. Ban is in the country, as part of a delegation from The Elders, a London-based organisation of independent global leaders, which also released a report here on universal health coverage (UHC) in India. "I am here with a single purpose, with a single agenda and that is to promote universal health coverage and overall health aspects. The Indian government has planned to spend 2.5 per cent of the GDP by 2025," he said. "And, it is hoped that India will push much further investment and more money, and more political will by Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, and chief minister and health ministers (of various states)," Ban said during a panel discussion here. The report by The Elders said that India urgently needs UHC, as around 600 million people "fail" to access the health services they need and 63 ...
Imposing sanction of law on consenting adults encourage discrimination: SC
Imposing legal sanctions on consenting adults involved in a sexual relationship has given the state the authority to perpetuate social stereotypes and encourage discrimination, the Supreme Court said Thursday. In a historic verdict, a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra struck down part of Section 377 of IPC, which criminalised consensual unnatural sex, saying this penal provision has consigned a group of citizens to "the margins". "What links LGBT individuals to couples who love across caste and community lines is the fact that both are exercising their right to love at enormous personal risk and in the process disrupting the existing lines of social authority," Justice D Y Chandrachud, who wrote a separate concurring verdict, noted. He said the British-era law had continued to exist for nearly 68 years after the country came out with a "liberal Constitution" after gaining independence. "Gays and lesbians, transgenders and bisexuals continue to be denied
SC says Section 377 had chilling effect
Holding that the punishment under Section 377 had created a chilling effect, the Supreme Court on Thursday said it was the responsibility of the three organs of the State to curb any "propensity or proclivity of popular sentiment or majoritarianism" to invade the rights of LGBTQ community.
Highlights of SC verdict on homosexuality
The following are the highlights of the Supreme Court verdict which ruled Thursday that consensual sex among adult homosexuals or heterosexuals in private space is not a crime: * Section 377 IPC, so far as it penalises any consensual sexual relationship between two adults, be it homosexuals, heterosexuals or lesbians, cannot be regarded as constitutional. * Engaging in any kind of sexual activity with an animal, however, would be a criminal offence under Section 377. * Non consensual gay sex will continue to invite penal liability under Section 377 of the IPC. * Part of Section 377, which prohibited sexual relationship between consenting adults of the same sex, was violative of the right to equality and the right to live with dignity. * Section 377 was "irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary". * History owes an apology to the members of LGBTQ community and their families, for the delay in providing redressal for the ignominy and ostracism that they have suffered through the
Homosexuality is genetic disorder: Subramanian Swamy
Even after the Supreme Court decriminalised homosexuality, Bharatiya Janata Party (BP) leader Subramanian Swamy called it a 'genetic disorder', which needs to be rectified with 'medical science'.Swamy said, "Of course what happens in someone's private life should not be of anyone's concern, neither should they be punished. It is basically a genetic disorder, like someone having six fingers. Medical research must be done to rectify it.""It is the American game. Soon there will be gay bars here where homosexuals can go. HIV will spread. So, after looking at the consequences I hope the next Government will move a seven-judge bench to set aside this five-judge bench order." he asserted.However, welcoming the landmark verdict by the top court, Former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said, "It is an important decision. I'm happy as the Court has realised the right of LGBTs, their pain and gave them proper space in the society. The most important thing about this decision is that they will be .
Order on extending house arrest 'small relief': Rao's nephew
Relatives of Telugu poet Varavara Rao, who is under house arrest for his alleged links with Maoists, Thursday described as "small relief" the Supreme Court extending the confinement till September 12. The Supreme Court extended till Wednesday the house arrest of five rights activists in connection with the violence in Koregaon-Bhima in Maharashtra. The Maharashtra government has submitted that keeping the activists under house arrest would hamper the ongoing investigation. "This is a small relief and partial victory," N Venugopal Rao, Varavara Rao's nephew, said. He said Rao was keeping well now. He was unwell about a fortnight ago as he was suffering from sinusitis, Venugopal Rao said. Venugopal alleged that police did not allow doctors to attend to Rao. "However, he is alright now," he said. The Maharashtra police had arrested Rao from here last month, while activists Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Farreira were nabbed from Mumbai, trade union activist Sudha Bharadwaj from .
