Pregnant with Justice

1

Female Feticide- It’s Shameful

I t is just a coincidence that I am writing this article on International Women’s Day i.e. March 8. Seminars and workshops are organized to celebrate this day to uplift the dignity of the women. Every year we express our serious concern for the sake of the women but the bitter truth is that still the girl child is struggling for her survival on this earth. Existing sex ratio is an indication to this situation. Let us not deny this cruel fact that we come across newspaper reports as newly born girl babies are thrown in the dustbin by her parents, where they are eaten away by pigs, dogs, vultures etc. Killing of a girl child is shameful on part of the society. Need not to say that every girl child has a right to life. It should not be taken as any favor to her that this society is letting her live. In a patriarchal male dominated society like India female feticide is very common even today.

We never forget to stake our claim that we are an advanced, well civilized and well educated nation. But where goes our education and the so-called civilized character when we decide to kill a girl child? Have a look around the cities; you will come across mushrooming abortion clinics and pathological ultrasound centers. They display a big size board outside the clinics that sex determination tests are crime and prohibited by law. But the truth lies in the tragedy that such clinics indulge in illegal abortions without any fear and teasing the letters of the law. Termination of pregnancy is permitted by law under strict medical supervision, with an intention to save the life of the pregnant women in the event when the doctors are satisfied that the fetus has developed some malignancy and the life of the mother would be in danger unless aborted without delay. The abortion clinics maliciously abuse the bonafide intention of the law and go for unlawful abortions under the bogus plea that there was a risk to the life of the mother therefore abortion was ‘legally’ justified.

The burning question is that as to who consents to such unlawful abortions? The obvious reply to such consents is the parents themselves. If the parents are unwilling, such clinics cannot compel them to come down to their clinics. Clinics are just professionals and we are providing them the market they need. It should be made clear that this society should not be under the expectation that the laws of the country would come up with the desired results unless the society comes forward with its hands clean and help the laws in their proper enforcement. We should not make mockery of the laws. Laws are there to control and regulate social behavior. Society should not behave in an unlawful manner just to kill its own child. Whether sons or the daughters, they should be given equal status by the society. Save the girl child. Female feticide should be condemned to its core. Human existence is not possible on this earth without the existence of the girl child. It is a social malady. Society itself would have to take initiatives to stop feticide in the greater interest of society. Let the justice be done to the female child.

The abortion clinics maliciously abuse the bonafide intention of the law and go for unlawful abortions under the bogus plea that there was a risk to the life of the mother therefore abortion was legally justified.

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2

Juvenile Justice- Nipped In the Bud

A dministration of juvenile justice has always been a matter of serious concern in the society. The children of today are the responsible citizens of tomorrow. Every society should carefully invest in their children today so as to get rich dividends in the years to come. Any poor investment in the children will give rise to the dividends in dangerous proportions back to the society. Nationally or internationally the concept of juvenile justice goes for the care, protection, treatment, education, development reformation and rehabilitation of juveniles. It is the statutory obligation of the State to meet out the objectives of juvenile justice so that no such children are left uncared and unprotected. Do the States would admit it without hesitation that they have successfully provided the minimum standards which are essential for juvenile justice?

Let us admit the bitter truth with a heavy heart that in Indian society children are the neglected lots. Let us not deny that we have not seen children on railway stations, bus stations, cinema halls, markets, hotels and restaurants etc. begging around or selling gutakhas, tobacco pouch, doing boot polish, and doing child labor for earning their livelihood. Yes..!!!.. Their painful poverty condition is the factor which compels such children to be exposed to such unhygienic and crimogenic situations. Children are seen picking plastics, poly thenes bags and other thrown away articles from the filthy garbage disposals dumped around the city by municipality. In jhuggi-jhoparis across metro cities the children live along with their family members in worst animal like conditions. The condition of children from socio-economic weaker sections living in villages, semi-urban, sub-urban and urban areas is not much better.

Let us be honest and should not expect from such children living in such extremely adverse conditions to be the saints of tomorrow. What they are getting from the society today, they will pay it back to the society, the other day? If the society neglects them today, they will neglect the society tomorrow. Society just cannot escape from its accountability. There are negative social factors, like lack of proper socio-economic and educational development, which is a contributory factor towards juvenile delinquency. If timely proper care is not taken by the socio-political system of the country in protecting these delinquent and neglected juveniles in keeping them away from crimogenic situations then society should keep ready for dangerous consequences. The juveniles who have broken the law or who are in conflict with law, if deliberately and negligently are allowed to continue to stay in the same crimogenic environment, rest assure they will be future criminals. You just cannot stop them to be. The social system is to be blamed for all that. Social acceptability is the primary factor in care, protection, treatment, development, reformation and rehabilitation of a juvenile so that he is groomed as law abiding youth and responsible citizen. I do not wish to fall in any argument that the system has established observation, reformatory and juvenile homes for the purpose, but these homes appear to have absolutely failed to deliver the justice since they have become centers of corruption. Let us come forward and see that the juvenile justice is not nipped in the bud itself, otherwise we would not be able to save this society from future criminals.

It is the statutory obligation of the State to meet out the objectives of juvenile justice so that no such children are left uncared and unprotected. Do the States would admit it without hesitation that they have successfully provided the minimum standards which are essential for juvenile justice?

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3

Poverty Line And Below

I t has become the fashion of the day to talk about poverty line and about the people below it, by those who are at the helm of the affairs. They are busy in collecting data, drawing poverty line, arranging press conferences and addressing the problem in terms of the data so collected, with future action plan? But the bitter truth after independence is that the system has absolutely failed. The tragedy of the system is that it has performed a backward painful journey starting from poverty line to below poverty line (B.P.L.). The B.P.L. terminology is the latest creation of the system. Let us not complicate with technical definitions of poverty given by any economist. In simply layman’s language where people in society are economically so weak that they are absolutely incapable to sustain their basic day to day requirements of food, clothing and shelter. There are reported instances of starvation deaths. Prime Minister of the country was deep with sorrow while talking on ‘Hunger and Malnutrition’ that malnutrition is national shame (2012). Poverty contributes to this pathetic situation, absolute poverty contributes absolutely.

The preamble of the Constitution of India dedicates itself to the people of India, to ensure justice- social, economical and political. It specifically mentions about its concern to counter inequality in income so as to remove economic disparity prevalent in the society. It also endeavors to the State to take measures for empowerment of the socially and economically weaker sections. In contradiction to all that the economic disparity has become much wider after independence and the rich are getting richer, whereas the poor are getting poorer with the passage of time. The question of the day is that why there are poor in the society? Where the visualizations of socio-economic justice as go enshrined under the Constitution? Should we not admit it honestly that it is all attributable to acute failure of socio-economic policy initiatives and its implementation? I am not an economist but as a citizen of this country there are genuine expectations from the existing economic justice administration system. The experts should come forward with fair economic policies to ameliorate poverty conditions from the Indian society. We have failed so far even after more than sixty seven years of independence (1947). Japan was completely ruined after Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945) but after comparatively sixty nine years of that destruction, today they are nation with economic force to globally reckon with. It is the will power, dedication, honesty, industry, determination, sacrifice and the sense of belongingness of the people of Japan for their nation which makes all the difference, people of the world are witnessing today.

There is an affidavit before the Supreme Court of India that as per poverty line calculations Rs.32 would be sufficient for the urban poor and Rs.26 would be sufficient for rural poor for his daily needs. To my understanding this per day per capita income includes expenses on livelihood, health, education and other future exigencies as well? There could be an honest apprehension as to what extent this meager income calculation data would be in a position to justify and fulfill the fundamental needs of the rural urban poor and their very survival on this earth?

Poverty line was drawn to collect data of the people living on poverty line so that their poverty could be removed. Now we have come with ‘below poverty line’, which is an admission to this very fact that during these years people have gone below the earlier poverty line. It means poverty has increased and system has failed to eradicate poverty. If continuing policy implementation trends are any indications then should we be prepared to witness another poverty line to be drawn by the caretakers of the system i.e. below below poverty line (B.B.P.L.) in the years to come? No..!!! No..!!! Please let the poor now live with human dignity.

The question of the day is that why there are poor in the society? Where go the visualizations of socio-economic justice as enshrined under the Constitution? Should we not admit it honestly that it is all attributable to acute failure of socio-economic policy initiatives and its implementation?

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4

Penal Justice

T here is a famous saying that punishment is not an end in itself, but it is a means to an end. Off course, the end is the penal justice. The concept of penal justice visualizes that even behind imposition of punishment there should be an element of justice, which the criminal justice system has to ensure. The objective behind punishments is to create fear of punishment in the mind of offenders and the people at large, so that they could be prevented from committing crimes. The greater objective is to establish a crimeless society. The objective for achieving a crimeless society has absolutely failed but still the system may feel satisfied, if there are lesser crimes in the society. The past experiences of the criminal justice system reveal that merely by means of showing fear of punishment the offenders cannot be deterred from committing crimes. Recidivists or the repeaters of the crime are one example. Most serious illustration of the recent origin is the suicide squads of the terrorist gangs who have absolutely no fear of punishment and they are ready to kill themselves for the sake of committing crimes.

The conclusion could be that providing punishment is not the final solution for preventing crimes in the society. For achieving the greater objectives of criminal justice, the caretakers of penal justice system should feel realize this fact that the penal administration needs infusion of ‘feel of justice’ behind punishments. To illustrate with, where A happens to be an honest and hard working person. Once his mother fell seriously ill. He approached the doctor. After examining his mother the doctor said to A that the condition of his mother is very serious. He should immediately give him the prescribed medicines otherwise her condition may be critical and she may die. After paying the doctor’s fee, A rushed to the medical store to buy medicines for his mother. A did not have sufficient money to pay to the chemist. He requested the chemist with folded hands that please give the medicines, since the condition of his mother is very critical. He will pay the remaining amount within a day or two. If the medicines are not administered to her immediately, she may die. Despite repeated requests, the chemist bluntly refused to give medicines unless full payment is made. A was desperate, left with no other option and with an intention to save life of his mother he snatched medicines from the chemist and ran faster to his mother to administer medicines to her. Snatching away medicines is an unlawful act. A is produced before the court. He pleaded that he had no intention to break the law but under the compelling circumstances he was put in, he had to save the life of his mother. Alright..!!! Your mother was critical, but you should not have broken the law. Law will punish you for that.

Once such persons are punished and the law absolutely ignores to take cognizance of the compelling circumstances and is not considerate of it, while awarding punishment, then there is every possibility that the persons will have a loss of faith in the justice system. When he would be released from the jail after undergoing punishment, he may be converted into a hardened criminal and may prove to be cursing for the society. Since the system, while awarding punishment was never sympathetic enough to his compelling circumstances and at the same time the chemist too, being part of the society never bothered for the critical illness of his mother. Let there be a penal justice behind every punishment. Punishment is not an end in itself. Let us protect situational offenders from becoming hardened criminals. The system should take into account for the persons becoming victims of the circumstances and are compelled to commit crime without any prior criminal intention. I do not argue that they should not be punished, but they should be given judicious punishment by the system with an ultimate objective to reform such situational offenders.

Let there be a penal justice behind every punishment. Punishment is not an end in itself. Let us protect situational offenders from becoming hardened criminals.

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5

Menace of Dowry Continues

D owry system is a social evil. Demanding dowry and offering dowry as a consideration for the marriage is deeply rooted in the Indian society. Dowry became a curse when the society started torturing and killing the married women for non fulfillment of demand of dowry. Even today, there are reported instances of dowry related physical, mental tortures and killings of the married women. Demand of dowry and offering dowry is prohibited by law. But without bothering for the law, people give dowry and demand dowry. The dowry problem is basically a social problem, it is not a legal problem and the most affected families are the middle class families. There are people who are ready to give dowry and the other party is ready to take the dowry. Now the big question is that how the law will come into motion? The person who should be aggrieved and make a complaint before law, is ready to give dowry. Despite the fact that dowry is being given and is being taken, since there is no complaint of it from the aggrieved, the law is absolutely helpless. Law needs evidence to proceed with and in the absence of any such evidence from the aggrieved the law just cannot help.

To illustrate with, I just intend to draw your kind attention to a social situation discussed herein after. I would leave it up to you to decide, as to how to deal with this social evil particularly under the circumstances where the father of a girl comes forward to help the legal system with a complaint against demand of dowry? A, who is the father of a girl goes with a marriage proposal for his daughter to B, who is the father of the groom. B demands dowry as a consideration for his son’s marriage with A’s daughter. A thinks B should not demand dowry since it is unlawful. A makes a complaint against B to the law enforcement agencies so that legal action could be taken against B. Now here comes the real problem. By helping the legal system of the country A has invited trouble for himself. The news that A has lodged complaint against B for demanding dowry will spread like a fire in the jungle. Wherever now, he will go with the proposal of his daughter’s marriage, people in this society will disappoint him leaving him in utter frustration. He faces a threat from the society that his daughter will remain unmarried for all that he did by making complaint against the evil. Who will take this risk at the cost of one’s daughter’s marriage? In the absence of any such complaint from the aggrieved the law will not be in a position to help and the evil of the dowry system goes unabated. Society itself would have to come forward to eradicate this evil practice and save our girls from its menace.

Despite the fact that there is a stringent law on dowry, burning newlywed girls to death by her in laws for want of dowry is a common phenomenon in the Indian society. Subjecting her to cruelty for want of sufficient dowry is equally common. Intentionally burning women for not bringing sufficient dowry and inhumanly torturing her to death is a cold blooded murder. I fail to understand as to why the penal laws define it as ‘dowry death’ only, which is a lesser offence than murder? Offenders responsible for dowry killings should be put to death sentence. There are reported instances of misuse of dowry related laws as well. Innocent in-laws are falsely implicated in bogus cases abusing the process of law. The law enforcement agencies and the courts would have to be extra careful in dealing with such situations.

Intentionally burning women for not bringing sufficient dowry and inhumanly torturing her to death is a cold blooded murder. I fail to understand as to why the penal laws define it as dowry death only, which is a lesser offence than murder?

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6

Gender Justice-Struggling For Self-respect

G ender based discrimination and crimes relating to women are very common in our society. Women are put to such discrimination by virtue of their birth as women. They are not treated as equal to their male counterparts. They are born equal as human beings but they are forced to be unequal by this society by virtue of their sex. Women have been put to lot of exploitation from time immemorial at the hands of male dominated society but because of nature the society is bound to admit and accept that women only are the better half of the human relationships. The issue which is serious is that as to why the women are an exploited lot in a society which claims it to be a modern, civilized and educated society? Still society behaves in a disgraceful manner and celebrates when a male child is born as compared to the female one. Despite the Constitutional position of equality of status, women are denied of their rights socially.

Administration of gender justice has different dimensions. In spite of the fact that we feel reflections of women empowerment in the society but the trail of the tragedy lies in the bitter truth that the women are even today subjected to domestic violence by this society. The Parliament had to make laws to protect the women from domestic violence. Meaning thereby, the women are struggling for self respect. Gender justice is nipped in the bud at the time when the girl child is killed in the embryo itself. Science and technological developments have not proved to be a boon for the sake of gender justice and sonographic ultrasound techniques are being used rampant for feticides. An absolute gender based injustice. The apex court of the country has taken notice of the sexual harassment of the women at the workplace. Despite definitive guidelines through Vishaka, the working women are struggling for self respect. In categories of sexual offences, women are subjected to acute trauma of rape. In spite of year’s hard struggle by women’s rights groups and landmark Supreme Court’s decisions, the conviction rate of rape cases has fallen from 44.2% in 1973 to 26.5% in 2010. There are reasonable apprehensions that the rate of conviction may further fall down in complete disregard to the objectives of gender justice.

I remember, looking to the gravity of rape offences then Home Minister in Atal Behari Vajpayee government intended to come with a proposal in the Parliament to amend the punishment provisions relating to offence of rape and make this offence punishable with death sentence. Enhancement proposal in the quantum of punishment was with the obvious motive to deter the rape offenders. But we must not be surprised to know that stiff opposition to this move came from none other than women’s organizations only. The women organizations pleaded that once the punishment for rape is enhanced to death sentence, the women in the society will go absolutely unsafe. Now the offender will commit two offences. First he will rape the women and then he will kill her as well, to destroy the evidence. He would know that both the offences are punishable with death sentence only. The women organizations had reasonable force behind their arguments which finally made the government to withdraw its initiative. Gender justice is a serious issue. Unless the entire society makes a tough move forward with its sincere and honest intentions to give respect to the women they deserve, it would be very difficult for the law alone to deal with the issues of gender justice.

In spite of year’s hard struggle by women’s rights groups and landmark Supreme Court’s decisions, the conviction rate of rape cases has fallen from 44.2% in 1973 to 26.5% in 2010. There are reasonable apprehensions that the rate of conviction may further fall down in complete disregard to the objectives of gender justice.

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7

Why Do People Commit Crime?

T o act criminal is a human tendency. When this criminal tendency dominates he commits crime, otherwise, he behaves normal. We come across the situations where the person either commits crime intentionally or otherwise he did not intend to commit crime but he fell victim of the circumstances and crime took place. From time immemorial the system visualizes for a crimeless society. The legal system defines crime and provides for penal provisions so as to deter people from committing crimes but the crimes go unabated. Now the criminals have resorted to more technical means to unleash crimes in the modern society. Despite criminal laws, criminal courts, and punishments, the question remains unanswered as to why do people commit crime?

Every crime is not circumstantial. Criminal gangs organize well planned crimes as professional activity. Off late crime has become a profession now. Old researches revealed that criminals suffer from sick mentality. They used to derive sadistic pleasure out of the pain they caused to others through crimes. But today’s well planned professional criminality suggests that the criminals are not sick but they act smarter and more alert than the law enforcement agencies.

Conflict of interests in the society is one of the major causes behind criminal behavior. People have conflict of interests on the grounds of caste, religion, region, language, gender as factors of ‘social conflict’. Unless the existing