Page 395 - Social Issues
Bharat Bandh: 6 cops injured, train stopped in UP
Six policemen were injured and protesters stopped a train in Uttar Pradesh during a 'Bharat Bandh' called by upper-caste groups, but life remained largely normal across the state. The bandh was called to protest against the recent amendments to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act by the Parliament to overturn a Supreme Court judgment. Reports from districts across the state said life was by-and-large normal despite the bandh call, officials said here. However, in Kanpur, protesters stopped an intercity train at Panki railway station, but fled as soon as the GRP and RPF reached the spot, inspector S N Pandey said. Heavy force was deployed in the Gorakhpur, where protesters blocked the Gorakhpur-Varansi national highway for three hours, hitting traffic movement. In Sonbhadra district, the bandh had a good response, with minor incidents between the protestors and shopkeepers being reported from some places. About 50 protesters were taken into custody ...
Consensual sex among adult homosexuals or heterosexuals not a crime: SC
Consensual sex among adult homosexuals or heterosexuals in private space is not a crime, the Supreme Court unanimously held today, as it struck down part of a British-era law that criminalised it on the grounds that it violated the constitutional right to equality and dignity. The path-breaking judgement held that Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalised consensual gay sex was "irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary". While a constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said the 158-year old law had become an "odious weapon" to harass the LGBT community by subjecting them to discrimination and unequal treatment, a judge also said that history owed an apology to the community and their families for the delay in providing redressal for the "ignominy" and "ostracism" they have faced through the centuries. It said Section 377 was a product of Victorian-era morality and there was no reason to continue with it as it enforced Victorian morale on the ...
Sensitise, give awareness training on plight of LGBTQ: SC to Centre
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to periodically sensitise and give awareness training to all government officials, including police officials, about the plight of people belonging to LGBTQ community.
'SC verdict dumps 158-year-old colonial legacy'
Terming the Supreme Court's verdict on Section 377 of the IPC a milestone for personal liberty, equality and principles of social justice, Swaraj India member Manohar Elavarthi on Thursday said it (ruling) had rid the country of a 158-year-old colonial legacy.
JeM suspect attempts suicide in police custody
A Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) suspect attempted suicide on Thursday in police custody in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district.
Raj Assembly passes Panchayati Raj amendment bill
The Rajasthan Assembly today passed a bill which relaxes the provision "two-child" provision for those aspiring to contest panchayat elections provided one of the children is differently-abled. It also passed an amendment aimed at allowing people suffering from leprosy to contest panchayat elections. The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2018, was passed by voice vote. The bill aims at deleting a provision under the Act that if a person is suffering from Leprosy, he will be disqualified for contesting panchayat elections. Proposing the amendment, Panchayati Raj Minister Rajendra Rathore said at the time of enactment of the Act, there might have been some valid reasons for making such a provision. However, in the present time, for rehabilitating and bringing the people suffering from Leprosy fully into the mainstream, this provision should be deleted. It is proposed that a person suffering from leprosy should not be disqualified under the sections of the Act, he said. As per ..
History owes apology to LGBTs: Justice Indu Malhotra
Asserting that criminalising consensual sexual acts between persons of same gender was violative of their fundamental rights, Supreme Court Justice Indu Malhotra on Thursday said that history owed an apology to the Indian LGBTs for "delay in providing redressal" for their sufferings over the centuries.
Unmarried couples banned from sharing tables in Indonesia
A regency in the conservative Indonesian province of Aceh, where Islamic or sharia law is applied, has issued a ban on unmarried couples sharing the same table unless accompanied by family members.
Activists Pawar, Pangarkar in judicial custody till Sep 21
A court here sent suspected right-wing activist Avinash Pawar and former Shiv Sena councillor Shrikant Pangarkar to judicial custody till September 21. The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had arrested Pangarkar on August 19 and Pawar on August 24 and the duo were produced Thursday before Additional Sessions judge Vinod Padalkar after their police remand ended. The court remanded them to judicial custody till September 21 after the ATS made no further arguments seeking their custody. Earlier, the ATS had claimed that Pawar had carried out reconnaissance of houses of certain persons including slain rationalist Narendra Dabholkar's daughter Mukta, activist Shyam Manav and NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad. Pangarkar, the ATS had told the court, was providing training for making arms in Jalna. His name was also found in a diary seized from an accused who is in the custody of the Karnataka police in connection with a high-profile murder case. Besides, Pawar and Pangarkar, ATS had arrested three more ...
After years of battle, SC decriminalises homosexuality (Roundup)
In a historic verdict that the gay community rejoiced, the Supreme Court on Thursday decriminalised homosexuality between consenting adults by declaring as "manifestly arbitrary" Section 377 of IPC, the penal provision which criminalised gay sex.
Homosexuals have fundamental right to live with dignity, says Justice Nariman
Homosexuals have a fundamental right to live with dignity and are not suffering from mental disorder, Supreme Court judge Justice R F Nariman said Thursday. He said the Section 377 was the product of the Victorian era morality which was long gone and there was no reason to continue with it especially when it enforces Victorian mores upon the citizenry of India. "We find that Section 377, in penalizing consensual gay sex, is manifestly arbitrary. Given modern psychiatric studies and legislation which recognizes that gay persons and transgenders are not persons suffering from mental disorder and cannot therefore be penalized, the Section must be held to be a provision which is capricious and irrational," Justice Nariman said. He was part of the five-judge Constitution bench which declared as unconstitutional the part of Section 377 of the IPC which criminalised homosexual as also transgender sex between consenting adults. In his separate concurring verdict, Justice Nariman said ...
LGBT community's struggle and victory inspiration to continue fight: activist's partner
The Supreme Court verdict legalizing gay sex among consenting adults has given a "ray of hope" to continue the struggle against injustice, Sabha Husain, the partner of one of the five left-wing activists under house arrest, said Thursday. Husain said the struggle of LGBT community and the historic Supreme Court verdict are an inspiration for her and her partner, Gautam Navlakha, to continue their fight for justice. "Just as we were waiting for a verdict for all of us, the Supreme Court gave the most historic judgement on decriminalising homosexuality. It is a moment of pride for all of us. Gautam and I feel this has been possible due to the relentless struggle and campaign of the LGBTQ community," she told PTI. Navlakha is one of the five human rights activists and lawyers who are accused by the Maharashtra government of having links with the banned CPTI (Maoist) group. They were arrested by Maharashtra police last week after a series of raids in several cities. The five were to be ..
Finance commission has 'no say' in formulation of ToR: Singh
The Tamil Nadu government Thursday expressed serious concern on the Terms of Reference of the 15th Finance Commission, even as the panel's chairman said it had "no say" in its formulation. Chief Minister K Palaniswami opposed the reference to control of expenditure on government's "populist programmes." "Populist is a subjective term which has a very fine line of difference with popular schemes. Tamil Nadu has a number of social welfare schemes designed with specific socio-economic objective and cannot be termed 'populist', he said during a meeting with the Commission chairman N K Singh at the Secretariat here. Palaniswami said he felt that it would be inappropriate for the commission "to judge the collective wisdom of States' legislatures." Palaniswami said he has already written to the chairman expressing serious concern on the Terms of Reference (ToR). "I wish to reiterate that we oppose the use of 2011 population data. It would punish progressive states like Tamil ..
SC decision on Section 377 garners over 300,000 tweets
The landmark decision of decriminalising homosexuality in India by the Supreme Court on Thursday has garnered over 300,000 tweets with hashtags #Section377 and #LGBTQ in past 12 hours, the micro-blogging site said in a post.
Ayushman Bharat-Jan Arogya Yojana launched in Jammu
The ambitious "Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)" which provides poor and vulnerable families coverage for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization was launched in Jammu on Thursday. Deputy Commissioner Ramesh Kumar inaugurated the pilot launch of the scheme here at a programme organised by the Directorate of Family Welfare. Speaking on the occasion, Kumar said the AB-PMJAY aimed at providing portable coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually, and a beneficiary covered under the scheme would be allowed to avail cashless benefits from any public and private empanelled hospitals across the country. "The scheme will be launched across the country on September 25 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the he said. He added that the scheme was entitlement based, which would decided on the basis of the deprivation criteria in the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) database. A pilot test of the software to register patients, keep records and track transactions was
Rainbow rises over India as SC legalises consensual gay sex
Consensual gay sex is not a crime, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday, striking down a British era law that it said violates the right to equality and triggering celebrations among LGBTQ activists who welcomed it as a harbinger of a more inclusive India. Parts of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalised consensual unnatural sex, are "irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary", the apex court said in its historic ruling that made India the 26th country in the world where homosexuality is legal. History owes an apology to members of the community for the delay in ensuring their rights," for denying them their rights and compelling them to live a life of fear, said Justice Indu Malhotra, who was part of the five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra that delivered the judgement, capping a 17-year legal struggle. In its 493-page judgement, the bench said aspects of Section 377 dealing with unnatural sex with animals and children remain in ...
Indians use more sports and racing game apps: Study
Indians, among six nations, use more sports and racing game smartphone applications, a study has showed.
Relief for those accused of consensual gay sex and facing trial: Officials
Those accused of consensual gay sex and facing trial or whose petitions are under review can breath easily now as Thursday's Supreme Court verdict, decriminalising part of section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, gives them a ray of hope, officials said. Gay and lesbian people, who flock to places like Goa, can now roam freely, without any fear of being prosecuted, they added. The five-judge constitution bench's order has made it clear that it can be relied upon in all the pending consensual gay sex cases whether they are at the trial, appellate or revisional stages, a home ministry official said. The number of such cases may not be too high, but the apex court judgment is a big victory for the accused in such cases as they can now cite the order and get relief from the court, he added. The trial is expected to be called off once the Supreme Court order is mentioned before a judge hearing such a case, the official said. The verdict is also an encouraging development for those foreigners .
Sec 377 a willing instrument of repression of LGBT community: SC
Members of the LGBT community have suffered the indignities of denial for a "too long" period of 158 years, as the law criminalising consensual gay sex among adults was a "willing instrument of repression", the Supreme Court said on Thursday. Justice D Y Chandrachud, who penned a separate judgement while concurring with the views of the four other members of the bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, observed that denial of right to sexual orientation was akin to denial of right to privacy. He said that section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalised consensual gay sex between adults, had consigned a group of citizens to "the margins", due to which the members of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender (LGBT) community were relegated to the anguish of being "closeted identities". "Sexual and gender based minorities cannot live in fear, if the Constitution has to have a meaning for them on even terms," Justice Chandrachud said, adding, "sexual orientation has become a ...
Delhi to get its first Electoral Literacy Club at college level tomorrow
Aimed at imparting electoral literacy to the youth, Delhi's first Electoral Literacy Club (ELC) at the college level will be inaugurated tomorrow in east district, an official said Thursday. Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Vijay Dev will inaugurate the club at Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women of Delhi University in Vasundhara Enclave, the official said. According to east Delhi district administration, a number of youths will be provided information on registration of voters at the club and will also be encouraged to motivate others to register themselves with the club. The official said the Election Commission of India has conceptualised the idea of ELC at different social strata of the society to make citizens informed and ethical voters. "The ECI has formulated different instructions as resource guide at school level, college level and community level. It is Delhi's first Electoral Literacy Club at college level to spread awareness about electoral literacy," the ..
