WB PASSES LAW AGAINST MOB LYNCHING
The Mamata Banerjee government has passed new legislation in the state assembly to curb mob lynchings in Bengal. The West Bengal (Prevention of Lynching) Bill, 2019 aims to “provide effective protection of the Constitutional rights of vulnerable persons and to prevent the lynching” of innocents. If any act of mob lynching results in the death of a victim, the perpetrator shall be punished with death sentence or rigorous imprisonment for life states the law. The bill, passed by a voice vote, in the aftermath of a string of incidents of people getting beaten to death over rumours of cattle smuggling and child theft, carries punishment of a jail term for three years to life imprisonment in cases of assault leading to injury, besides a fine ranging from Rs one lakh to Rs three lakh.
Image with caption: Tamil Nadu Assemly adopted a resolution urging the union government to repeal CAA
TN ADOPTS RESOLUTION URGING GOVT. TO REPEAL CAA
Following through with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)’s election promise, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on September 8 adopted a resolution urging the union government to repeal the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019. The resolution stated that the CAA is not in tune with the secular principles prescribed by the Constitution. “…and also not conducive to the communal harmony that prevails in India. As per established democratic principles, a Country should be governed taking into consideration the aspirations and concerns of the people belonging to all sections of the society. But it is clearly seen that the CAA was passed in such a way that it does not accord warm support to the refugees considering their plight, but instead discriminates (against) them according to their religion and their country of origin. Therefore, to protect and ensure the unity and communal harmony of this Country and to uphold the secular principles enshrined in the Constitution of India, this August House resolves to urge the Union Government to repeal CAA, 2019.”
Image with caption: A 22-year-old man named Samir was beaten to death
MUSLIM YOUTH LYNCHED TO DEATH IN SHAMLI
A 22-year-old man named Samir of Banat town of the Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh, who got off at the bus station, was beaten to death with sticks and rods by several men on September 9. An altercation between the men is being cited as the motive behind the murder. The police have registered a case of murder based on a complaint filed by Adil, uncle of the deceased. While there has been a furore in the family due to the brutal nature of the public murder, the police have named eight people in the case and have started efforts to arrest the killers. Adil reportedly said that the accused men regularly commit hooliganism, while two of them had only recently come out of jail.
IMPARTIAL PROBE SOUGHT INTO BRUTAL MURDER OF RABIYA SAIFI
The Secretary of Women’s Department of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has demanded an impartial probe into the alleged rape and murder of Delhi’s civil defence worker Rabiya Saifi alias Sabiya. In a statement on September 6, expressing utter shock over the brutal murder of 21-year-old Rabiya, JIH Secretary Mrs. Rahmatunnisa also demanded to arrest the culprits immediately and ex-gratia payment to her family members. She said, “It is a sad reality that despite so much rhetoric about ‘Beti Bachao’, we have still not created a climate in which our girls and women feel safe and secure in their workplace and outdoors.” Mrs.Rahmatunnisa has expressed hope that the government, law enforcement agencies, lawmakers, the judiciary and concerned citizens will chalk out new policies for the protection and security of women so that they can accomplish their potential without fear of being stalked, harassed and losing their lives to crimes that put humanity to shame.
46% RISE IN COMPLAINTS OF CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN IN 2021
The country saw a rise of 46 per cent in complaints of crimes against women in the first eight months of this year as against the corresponding period of last year, the National Commission for Women (NCW) said on September 6. According to data, the NCW received 19,953 complaints of crimes against women from January to August this year. The number is up from the 13,618 complaints reported in the same period of time in 2020. The NCW received as many as 3,248 complaints in the month of July, which is the highest in a month since June 2015. Among states and Union territories, the highest number of complaints were received from Uttar Pradesh (10,084), followed by Delhi (2,147), Haryana (995) and Maharashtra (974).
OVER 1,100 ACQUITTED IN 2013 MUZAFFARNAGAR RIOTS CASES
Eight years since the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013, in which over 60 people were killed and more than 40,000 displaced, 1,117 people accused in 97 cases related to murder, rape, robbery and arson among others connected to the violence have been acquitted over lack of evidence. Seven people were convicted in a single case related to the murder of two youths, Sachin and Gaurav, in Kawal village in the district. According to officials of the SIT, police had registered 510 cases against 1,480 people and filed chargesheets in 175 cases. An official of the SIT said that over the years, 97 cases have been decided by a court which has acquitted 1,117 people accused in those due to lack of evidence. The prosecution has not filed an appeal in any of these cases, he said. The SIT could not be file chargesheets in 20 cases since it did not get permission for prosecution from the state government.
Image with caption: The Allahabad High Court placed an interim stay on the proceedings in a lower court in the Gyanvapi Masjid title dispute in Varanasi
HC STAYS LOWER COURT PROCEEDINGS IN GYANVAPI MASJID CASE
The Allahabad High Court on September 9 placed an interim stay on the proceedings in a lower court in the Gyanvapi mosque-Kashi Vishwanath temple title dispute in Varanasi, including the April order of the lower court which had directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a comprehensive physical survey of the Gyanvapi mosque compound adjacent to the temple. The HC put a stay on further proceedings in the original suit of 1991 pending before the court till the next date of listing on October 8. Justice Prakash Padia came down heavily on the lower court in Varanasi, saying that it should not have proceeded and decided the application filed by the plaintiffs in the original suit for survey by the ASI even as the judgment in the original pending petitions in the matter was reserved by the HC on March 15.