Mark May 5, 2015 on your calendar for witnessing a Satyagrah for Men at Jantar Mantar, Delhi.
- Scrapping of IPC 498a (Move to make it compoundable is not the solution)
- Creation of Men's Commission
- Automatic Stringent Punishment for Law Misuser
- Gender Neutral Laws (Replace the words He/She with Person, Husband/Wife with Spouse)
It is been around 67 years since India got independence from the British but it is yet to be free. It is considered the largest "Democracy". Democracy by definition means the rule is by the people, of the people, for the people.
It is unbelievable that archaic laws (Indian Penal Code!!!) formulated by British are still being followed. Those laws were framed with the sole intention of ruling the vanquished. The Government machinery still considers or treats the citizens as potential trouble makers. It is time to right the ship and advance and restore the pride of Bharat - the Land of Dharma.
There was a ray of hope that PM Narendra Modi who gave the vision of development will be able to deliver on his promises. The nation, saw in him as a facilitator, who will enable an all-round development and prosperity for all. The belief resulted in him getting a majority in the Lok Sabha. Law making is the first step. Laws vaguely written have been formulated which has led to rampant misuse.
Bharat was renown for its Dharma. One who does the crime was punished. An innocent person was guaranteed to get justice. Data supported by NCRB statistics show that lakhs of innocent men have been harassed, dignity lost due to the effect of around 48 laws, formulated in the name of women empowerment. Why should the laws be gender biased if the crime is gender neutral?
The prevailing situation as a result of the gender biased, misuse prone laws:
- Every 8 minutes a married man is committing suicide. If a married woman commits suicide, cops treat it automatically as a dowry death. Why do cops attribute all other possible reasons for a married man's suicide.
- Innocent men are being harassed by the cops (along with his family members) just on the basis of the wife's allegations which are automatically taken as truth without any verification. A matrimonial dispute (civil in nature) is considered a criminal offence (IPC 498a).
- A consensual relationship comes with "No strings" attached. Anyone can break off and go their own ways. In reality, if a man breaks off a consensual relationship, the woman can file a rape case. A consensual sex has been converted to rape.
- Domestic Violence all over the world is a gender neutral offence but the Indian law considers always the women (wife) to be victims (Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act).
- Managers are giving pay-hikes to few non-performing woman employees for fear of being accused of sexual harassment. The men in the team might lose out due to Managers's self-preservation motive. (Sexual Harassment against Women at Workplace Act).
- A wife can file multiple sections for getting maintenance even if she is able-bodied, educated, working and sometimes earning more than the husband (Maintenance Laws).
The Police treat the common men with contempt. Real criminals don't get caught. The Police have found an easy means to earn money by playing the role of extortion enablers. They are the first gatekeepers in determining whether a case is true or not. They however take the payoffs from the law misusers and pass on the burden of finding the truth onto the courts.
The belief exists that the Judiciary branch is pristine among the three branches of Government (Legislative, Executive and Judiciary). The reality however is far from true. There are 43 Lakh cases pending in High courts and 3 Crore cases pending in the Lower courts. How many years will it take for an innocent to get acquittal and what use is that Justice which comes so late.
The initiative by the Modi Sarkar to repeal obsolete laws should be commended. At the same time, laws need to be fixed which have caused anguish, pain and suffering to the commoners. False case filers should be punished stringently so that the existing judicial pendency can be controlled.
The Government being the representative of the people, should listen to the real people and not fall prey to the various groups funded by foreign funds whose objective is to destroy the nation for their selfish objectives.
Agitations were the preferred mechanism for gaining Independence from the British. Will the Government only take action if people resort to an agitation? If that is what it takes the Government to listen to people, then India will continue to be the land of agitations.
It will be wise of the political class to change and really start working for the people instead of enriching themselves. Reforms are needed in all spheres. The people yearn for governance and their credibility in all the three branches should be restored. The onus is on Modi Sarkar and we can work together to create a Shrest Bharat, which will be fair to all and won't discriminate on the basis of gender, religion, caste or creed.
