Page 396 - Social Issues

Devdutt Pattanaik hails SC verdict, cautions against 'loveless marriages'

Noted mythologist-writer Devdutt Pattanaik has hailed the landmark Supreme Court verdict on Thursday that decriminalised homosexuality between consenting adults and hoped that the judgement will be the beginning of a larger change.

Admin seeks public help in tracking expelled anti-social elements living in Gautam Buddh Nagar

The district administration Thursday sought public help in tracking anti-social elements who are reportedly staying in Gautam Buddh Nagar despite being expelled under law. In order to maintain law and order, continuous action is being taken jointly by the district administration and the police on the persons with criminal nature, District Magistrate Brajesh Narayan Singh said. At present, 33 anti-social persons are officially under expulsion from Gautam Buddh Nagar, he said. "But the district administration is getting reports that the anti-social elements who were expelled out are staying in Gautam Buddh Nagar," he said, according to a statement from the district information office here. He sought feedback from the public regarding such persons if they are seen staying or moving within the district. "If the people come across any information about such persons they may inform their nearest police stations, or administration officials sub-divisional magistrate or the additional ...

Equal rights', 'historic judgment': Celebs hail SC's verdict decriminalising homosexualit

Bollywood celebrities such as Karan Johar, Hansal Mehta and Alia Bhatt welcomed the Supreme Court's judgement Thursday decriminalising consensual gay sex, calling it a historic victory for equal rights and a proud moment for the country. A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court unanimously struck down a part of the 158-year-old colonial law under Section 377 of the IPC. The bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, said the law was violative of right to equality. Director Hansal Mehta, who made "Aligarh", a true-life inspired film about in Aligarh Muslim University professor Ramchandra Siras, who faced discrimination for being gay, called the verdict a "new beginning". "A new beginning. The law is gone. The Supreme Court has done what parliament failed to do. Now it's time for attitudes to change. Let's rejoice but let us also reflect. This is a new beginning. #Sec377verdict," he tweeted. Alia Bhatt tweeted, "Love is love Such a momentous day in the history of our ...

History owes apology to LGBT community and kin: SC Judge Malhotra

History owes an apology to the members of the LGBT community and their families for the delay in providing redressal for the "ignominy" and "ostracism" they have faced through the centuries, the Supreme Court said Thursday. Justice Indu Malhotra, who wrote a separate concurring judgement decriminalising consensual gay sex, said the members of this community were compelled to live under the fear of reprisal and persecution which occurred due to the ignorance of the majority to recognise that homosexuality is a "completely natural" condition which is part of a range of human sexuality. Such persons deserve to live a life unshackled from the shadow of being 'unapprehended felons', the lady judge said. She was part of a five-judge constitution bench that unanimously held that part of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalised consensual sexual relationships between adults of the same sex or otherwise, in private, violated the constitutional right to equality and ...

I-T raids at house of Sushil Modi's cousin in Srijan scam

Income Tax department sleuths Thursday conducted a raid at the residence of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi's cousin in connection with the multi-crore Srijan scam, official sources said. The sleuths were accompanied by police personnel during the raid at Rekha Modi's S P Verma Road house here this afternoon. Raids were also conducted at some places in Bhagalpur, where crores of rupees were fraudulently withdrawn from the treasury and transferred to the account of Srijan NGO, the sources said. The scam is being probed by the CBI. Opposition parties in Bihar have been alleging that Rekha Modi, a social activist, was involved in the scam. Congress MLC Prem Chandra Mishra and RJD MLA Bhai Virendra have termed the action as delayed and demanded that the deputy chief minister resign from his post. Their contention is that he himself is in the habit of demanding resignations whenever the name of someone even remotely related to a political opponent crops up in a scandal.

Rajasthan Assembly passes bill to reimburse ex-MLAs for medical expenses of dependent children

The Rajasthan Assembly passed an amendment bill Thursday that proposes to reimburse the expenditures incurred in medical treatment of dependent children of ex-MLAs and remove riders for family pension. The House passed the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly (Officers and Members Emoluments and Pension) (amendment) Bill, 2018 by voice vote. The amendments in these sections will involve a recurring expenditure of about Rs 55 lakh per annum. Proposing the bill, state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rajendra Rathore said sections of the previous Act provided reimbursement of expenditure on account of medical treatment of ex-members of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly. This facility is proposed to be extended to dependent children of such members. In another provision, the rider of salary or pension from other sources, used to determine the family pension payable under this section to spouses of ex-members, was removed.

NHRC notices to Bihar govt, DGP over reports of minor girl being 'assaulted, paraded naked'

The NHRC has sent notices to the Bihar government and the state's police chief over reports that a minor girl was allegedly assaulted, tonsured and paraded naked after having been dragged out from her house by six persons in Araria district. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday said it has has taken suo motu cognisance of reports while emphasising there was an "immediate need" for the law enforcing agencies to be "more active, vigilant and attentive" with a zeal to stop such disgraceful incidents tarnishing the image of the state and the country. While issuing the notices, the NHRC also said that recently it had taken suo motu cognisance of another incident in Bihar, in which a woman was paraded naked in Bihiya village of the Bhojpur district. The Commission has issued notices to the chief secretary and the director general of police, Bihar, seeking a detailed factual report on both the incidents mentioned in the news reports. "The Commission would also like to know

LGBT community's struggle and victory inspiration to us to continue our fight: Activist's partner

The Supreme Court verdict, which said gay sex among consenting adults is not a criminal offence, has given us a "ray of hope" to continue our struggle against injustice, partner of Gautam Navlakha, Sabah Husain, one of the five activists who has been under house arrest in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon violence said Thursday. On a day when the apex court extended the house arrest of five rights activists, including Navlakha till September 12, Husain said the struggle of LGBT community and today's victory is an inspiration for her and her partner to continue their fight for justice. She compared the struggle which the LGBTQ community underwent before the Supreme Court verdict to the one they have been going through. Husain pointed to the barricades placed outside her Nehru Enclave residence, asserting those were her new meeting point. "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 ..

Homosexuality verdict: Timeline of legal battle

The following is a timeline of the LGBTIQ communitys fight against the colonial era law criminalising homosexuality:

India's finest moment, says editor of book on Queer identities

Jerry Johnson, the editor of a recent book on queer identities and sexualities, has described the historic Supreme Court verdict on Thursday that decriminalised homosexuality between consenting adults, as India's finest moment.

Assembly dissolution:Cops foil man's suicide bid near Raj

In an apparent suicide bid, a man doused himself with kerosene near the Raj Bhavan here Thursday accusing the Telangana government of dissolving the state assembly before fulfilling its poll promise of providing employment to the unemployed youth, police said. The 28-year-old man identified as Eshwar, a native of Nalgonda district, was taken into custody as soon as poured kerosene over his body, a senior police official told PTI. During questioning, the man, who has completed his degree course and is presently unemployed, accused the TRS government of going ahead with dissolving the Assembly before fulfilling its election promise "to provide lakhs of government jobs to unemployed youth," police said. Police said he told them that he resorted to the step as he did not have a job. Ending weeks of speculation, the Telangana government recommended dissolution of the state assembly Thursday.

Decriminalising gay sex: Logic and love have won, says Kolkata boy

Hailing the Supreme Court verdict on decriminalising homosexuality, Kolkata boy Samarpan Maiti, the second runner-up of Mr Gay World 2018, said on Thursday that it is like getting "released from a dark jail," as he felt sensitising the society would now be the key.

World media hails landmark SC verdict legalising gay sex

The world media Thursday hailed the overturning of a colonial-era law in India that criminalised gay sex, saying the landmark ruling was a boost for gay rights not only in the world's largest democracy but also across the world. The Supreme Court Thursday decriminalised part of the Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises consensual gay sex, saying it was irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary. The apex court unanimously held that the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community possess the same constitutional rights as other citizens of the country. The Washington Post said India's top court's ruling was a landmark victory for gay rights in the world's largest democracy. It noted noted that activists have struggled for more than a decade to invalidate the section of the Indian Penal Code that prohibited consensual "carnal intercourse against the order of nature." The leading American newspaper commented that the ruling is also a boost for .

Life normal in UP during 'Bharat Bandh'

Six policemen were injured in Uttar Pradesh during a 'Bharat Bandh' called by some 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, a report from Ballia said BJP MLA from Bairia, Surendra Singh, came out openly in support of the bandh. "Upper-caste people made me the MLA and not Muslims and Dalits. I am ready to sacrifice for the upper caste. If my upper-caste supporters ask me I can also resign (from my seat) for their sake," Singh said. Some bandh supporters had heated talks with another BJP MLA, Anand Swarup Shukla from Ballia Sadar, who refused to back them. Ballia Superintendent of Police Sriparna Ganguly said some people resorted to ...

Robust charging infra for e-vehicles important to promote e-mobility: Geete

Good charging infrastructure for electric vehicles are important to promote e-mobility in the country, Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Sector Enterprises Anant Geete Thursday said. He said that e-mobility will also help in promoting sustainable development. "We need to promote e-mobility as it is important for environment. We are setting up charging stations for electric vehicles. Gradually we will be launching these stations across the country," the minister told reporters here. He was speaking after launching 18 charging stations here. Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited (REIL) has so far set up 45 such stations in Delhi and Rajasthan, and they will increase this number to 200 in the coming months. When asked about the amount to be charged from e-rickshaws for charging, Geete said that currently it is free. "If some sponsor would come forward, we can think of providing free charging facility to e-rickshaws," he added. Talking about Faster Adoption and ...

Minority community in Kashmir systematically marginalised: BJP

Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP on Thursday alleged that the minority community in Kashmir Valley has been systematically marginalised on socio-economic and political fronts over the decades and the practice continues. This, the party alleged, has relegated the community to the fringe of the social milieu. "The minority community in Kashmir Valley has been systematically marginalised on socio-economic and political fronts over the decades and this systematic exclusion continues even today," BJP vice president G L Raina told reporters here. It has relegated the community to the fringe of the social milieu and ultimately resulted in its physical expulsion in 1989-90, he alleged. "Not only did the successive administrations fail to take any steps to arrest or reverse this policy of exclusion and marginalisation, they were also unsuccessful in developing strategies to guarantee equal, secure and sustainable progress," he added. Raina accused the governments of denying the opportunity to

India takes historic step to legalise consensual gay sex, SC says history 'owes apology'

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 ...

Homosexuality not crime but needs social, psychological solutions: RSS

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Thursday said that it does not endorse homosexuality because it needs to be addressed socially and psychologically but at the same time the organisation agrees with the Supreme Court's view that same sex relations are not a crime.

SC verdict on LGBTI gives hope to those fighting for justice: Amnesty

Hailing the Supreme Court judgment decriminalising consensual gay sex, Amnesty International India Thursday said the verdict gave hope to everyone fighting for justice and equality. The SC 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 judgment closes the door on a dark chapter of Indian history. It marks a new era of equality for millions of people in India," said Asmita Basu, Programmes Director, Amnesty International India. "The remarkable victory today is a milestone in the three decade old struggle by the LGBTI community and their allies in India, she added. However, the LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) community's struggle for their rights including marriage, adoption and inheritance will continue, Basu said. "While today's judgement answers the constitutional invalidity of Section 377, the struggle for the

A historic decision: LGBT community on SC decriminalising homosexuality

Soon after the Supreme Court, in a landmark judgement on Thursday, struck down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), celebrations broke out across the nation by the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Intersex (LGBTI) community.Speaking to ANI, an overwhelmed LGBTI activist Sadhana Mishra said, "We are feeling very proud. It is a historical judgement. I would like to thank the Supreme Court."Terming it as truly historic, Ankit Gupta, who is an activist fighting for the rights of the transgender community, explained the order, "It says that the rights which are granted by the Constitution of India are enjoyed by the LGBTI community as well. It is a day to celebrate. We have won the legal fight, but in society, we still have to gain victory."An enthused Ashok Row Kavi, another activist, said, "We have finally got justice. We are finally 'azaad in azaad Hind'."Earlier in the day, a five-judge Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra and comprising ...