-The Hindu The ordinance on sexual assault cleared by the Union Cabinet and signed into law on Sunday by the President is problematic, not in what it seeks to achieve, but in what it does not attempt to redress. If this is all that the government intends to do on the basis of the Justice Verma Committee report, then, quite worryingly, the nationwide protests and expressions of outrage at rape and...
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Why we tolerate intolerance -Makarand R Paranjape
-The Times of India A fragmented polity and a vitiated public sphere characterise today's India. The question that is making the rounds is whether we have become an intolerant nation. On all the networks, one strident anchor outdoes his or her shrill peer in raising it. Obviously, there can be no simple 'yes' or 'no' to such a question; it all depends on the context in which it is posed. Yes,...
More »'Ordinance bypasses all vital recommendations of Verma panel'
-The Hindu Opposing the Centre’s decision to move an ordinance on criminal law amendments in respect of sexual violence, women’s organisations, civil society groups and women’s rights activists have appealed to President Pranab Mukherjee “not to sign” it. Arguing that virtually all suggestions of the Justice Verma Committee, hailed as signs of a paradigm shift in understanding violence against women, and all the recommendations that could strike at the heart of impunity...
More »Uttar Pradesh spends Rs 120cr to protect VIPs
-IANS LUCKNOW: With security often seen as a status symbol, the Uttar Pradesh government is spending a whopping Rs 120 crores of public money a year to provide security cover to around 1,500 VIPs of different hues, deploying as many as 2,913 police officials, officials records show. Inspector general of police (Law & Order) Badri Prasad Singh admitted that 1,476 VIPs (very important persons) were being given security based on "pre-emptive threat...
More »2009-11: 68,000 Rape Cases But Only 16,000 Sentenced
-Outlook Nearly 68,000 rape cases were registered across the country during 2009-11 but only 16,000 rapists were sentenced to prison, presenting a dismal picture of conviction of sexual offenders. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 24,206 rape cases were registered in India in 2011 but only 5,724 people were convicted for the Crime. Similarly, in 2010, 22,172 rape cases were registered while the number of convicted persons for the Crime was 5,632. A...
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