logo
CM stand unacceptable, law on honour killing must: CPM politburo member

CM stand unacceptable, law on honour killing must: CPM politburo member

KANNIYAKUMARI/MADURAI: CPM politburo member U Vasuki on Wednesday said the state government should enact a law to prevent castebased killings.
Speaking to reporters, Vasuki, who is also the all India vice president of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), said, 'Chief Minister M K Stalin's stand that existing laws are adequate to prevent caste-based killings is not acceptable.'
A special session of the TN Assembly should be convened to enact separate legislation as crime and atrocities against women and children are increasing in the state, she added.
'Political parties should take a firm stand regarding dowry harassment. Film actors should announce that they will not receive dowry,' Vasuki said.
Meanwhile, addressing reporters in Madurai, A Kathir, executive director of Evidence — an NGO working for rights of the SC/ST community — said that the National Law Commission of India, National Human Rights Commission, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Women and National Commission for Minorities should come together and prepare a draft model for a special Act against honour killing, as per the apex court's guidelines.
'The Supreme Court has given 20 guidelines in the Shakti Vahini vs Union of India case on March 27, 2018, to prevent honour killings. One such guideline instructs states to implement a special Act against honour killings. When CM Stalin was the opposition leader, he said that the DMK will enact a separate law against honour killings.However, after coming to power, he has said that there is no need for such a law,' Kathir said.
The SC must take suo motu cognisance against states that have not adopted guidelines issued by it in the 2018 case, he added.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Mumbai train blasts, an exoneration, the questions
Mumbai train blasts, an exoneration, the questions

The Hindu

time25 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

Mumbai train blasts, an exoneration, the questions

The Bombay High Court's exoneration of all those convicted in the Mumbai train blast case of July 2006, has come as a rude shock for the families of the 189 people killed and around 800 people who were injured. The High Court has ripped apart the investigation, calling witnesses untrustworthy, deeming confessions gained as under duress, terming identification parades faulty and citing forensic evidence custody as not foolproof. It is a shocker because it was based on the same evidence that the trial court, in 2015, sentenced five of the accused to death and seven to life imprisonment. A long wait, lapses Who will answer for the inordinately long incarceration of the accused since 2006? The police, the prosecution, lawyers or the courts? Or all of them, that is the criminal justice system? It takes years for trials in courts. One of the defence lawyers said that the charge sheet filed by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) had 20,000 pages, while much lesser numbers would suffice. It is like schoolchildren taking their examinations and filling pages with answers, hoping to impress the teacher with volume rather than quality. But the nine years taken by the Special Court and 10 years by the High Court for their decisions make the waiting period so agonising to the point of being meaningless for the accused. Nineteen years is a lifetime and almost like a sentence itself. Admitted there is tremendous pressure on investigating teams and the police chief in a terrorist or any high-profile case. The government gets unsettled with the Opposition's relentless attacks and demand to arrest the accused within minutes. It impacts investigation severely, pushing investigating officers into a corner, taking hasty decisions and bypassing protocol and procedures. But some of the issues referred to by the High Court raise concerns. Despite two confessions taken by two different deputy commissioners of police, they appear to be not similar but actually the same, with even the ellipsis matching. The witnesses became untrustworthy because, on cross-examination, they did not remain true to their original statements. Guess no one can after a lapse of so many years. It was surprising that the drawer of the sketches of the accused was not called as a witness. The test identification parade became suspect because the special executive officer who conducted it was not authorised to do so. Strange, because the magistrate who conducted it should have known whether he was the right person to undertake the TIP. The investigation, however, is truly flawed if the forensic evidence purity and chain of custody cannot be vouched for faithfully. It is troubling to hear that even in such critical cases there could be lapses on this count. The use of RTI filings Perhaps the biggest message from this trial is how the Right to Information (RTI) Act, known as the sunshine legislation, enacted 20 years ago, has stood the test of time, bringing transparency and accountability in government functioning. Hundreds of RTIs were filed by the accused and the defence lawyers to elicit information from the police, hospitals, and the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited to build up their case and cross-examine the prosecution witnesses and prove them wrong on various counts. In one instance, it was the name of a non-existent person in a hospital, named by the prosecution witness or the shift in which one person was working was proven wrong. It is the noblest use of RTI, perhaps, if it is used to defend oneself. This is a fundamental aspect of free trial and constitution under Article 20(3). Perhaps most embarrassing for the Mumbai police would have been the discovery of an Indian Mujahideen (IM) module, busted by the crime branch Mumbai in 2008, which accepted its role in the series of blasts in Ahmedabad, Delhi and Jaipur between 2005 to 2008. The gang led by Sadiq Israr Sheikh also claimed responsibility for the series of blasts in suburban trains on that day in Mumbai at around 6.30 p.m. The charge sheet in the July 11, 2006 Mumbai train blast case had already been filed by then, and the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) had announced it as the handiwork of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). In fact, in 2008, the top man of SIMI, Safdar Nagori, general secretary, was arrested along with his associates in March 2008 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, and was awarded life term in 2017. But how does this make any sense to the families of the victims of 7/11 or to a common man? How does it matter whether the police, the prosecution or the criminal justice system failed him? What matters is that 19 years later, he has no closure. For the accused who were incarcerated for 19 years, it is already a sentence served without proven guilty. They seek justice too. Reform must begin There are too many questions unanswered. The only way to answer them is to put the criminal justice system on track on a war footing. Formatting a new criminal law by changing a few old laws here and there is not enough. Every element of the criminal justice system should be reformed. Nineteen years for a decision is meaningless because the punishment has already been given. A prosecution overlooking basic issues is meaningless and an investigation overlooking the simplest of things is not worth it. Reform of the police, the judiciary, the prosecution and prisons cannot wait — we are sitting on a time bomb of people's expectations and frustrations, which may explode anytime. Yashovardhan Azad is a former IPS officer who has served as Central Information Commissioner, Secretary, Security, Government of India and Special Director, Intelligence Bureau

Supreme Court orders states to admit orphans under EWS quota, calls for survey
Supreme Court orders states to admit orphans under EWS quota, calls for survey

New Indian Express

timean hour ago

  • New Indian Express

Supreme Court orders states to admit orphans under EWS quota, calls for survey

NEW DELHI: In a significant directive aimed at ensuring educational rights for vulnerable children, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered all states to include orphans within the ambit of the 25% quota for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. The Court also directed states to conduct a survey of orphaned children denied school admission and provide reasons for the denial. A Bench comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and KV Viswanathan said, 'States must issue notifications within four weeks bringing orphaned children under Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act,' which mandates free and compulsory education for children aged 6 to 14 years in private unaided schools. While states like Delhi, Gujarat, Sikkim, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh have already issued such notifications, the Bench said others must follow suit. Simultaneously, the Court directed states to identify both admitted and denied orphan children, and urged them to take immediate steps to ensure their admission. The Supreme Court has directed authorities to ensure orphaned children are admitted to schools while conducting surveys to identify them, simultaneously asking the Centre to consider adding a separate category for orphans in the 2027 Census. The directions came during a hearing on a petition filed by advocate Poulomi Pavini Shukla, who highlighted the absence of official data and policy support for India's orphan population. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta responded to the court's suggestion, stating, "It should be. I would take it up because orphans are our responsibility." Shukla argued that despite existing support systems for marginalized children, orphans remain a neglected demographic, citing UNICEF estimates of nearly 30 million orphaned children in India. The bench emphasiced the need for immediate action on school admissions while awaiting comprehensive survey data. The case has been listed for further hearing on September 9, with states directed to file affidavits detailing their compliance with the court's directions regarding orphan welfare measures.

Cabinet clears ordinance to change DUK VC selection panel
Cabinet clears ordinance to change DUK VC selection panel

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Cabinet clears ordinance to change DUK VC selection panel

Thiruvananthapuram: In an apparent move against Kerala University of Digital Sciences (DUK) interim vice-chancellor (VC) Ciza Thomas, the state cabinet on Wednesday decided to amend the provisions of Kerala University of Digital Sciences Act for setting up a search-cum-selection committee for the appointment of a permanent VC. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The state cabinet approved the draft ordinance for making changes in subsections 3, 4 and 6 of the university rule 11. A statement from the chief minister's office (CMO) said the ordinance aims to make changes in the Act in accordance with the provisions in UGC regulations (2018) and recent court orders. The state cabinet has decided to send the draft ordinance to governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlerkar for clearance. Governor reappointing Thomas as the interim VC of DUK came as a severe blow to the state govt. Earlier, Thomas had submitted a report to the governor regarding the alleged mismanagement of funds at the university, following which the governor recommended a CAG probe into her alleged findings. As per the provisions in UGC (2018) regulations, only academics can be included in the search committee for VC selection. Currently, the chief secretary is also a member of the committee. An expert in electronics, a UGC representative, a university representative and govt representatives are members of the committee. However, the draft UGC regulations (2025) stipulate that the selection committee should have representatives of the chancellor, UGC and university. It is alleged that the govt is trying to appoint a VC of its choice at DUK well before the 2025 regulation comes into effect. Meanwhile, tensions between govt representatives and interim VC K Sivaprasad have thrown Kerala Technological University's (KTU) administration into turmoil. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A meeting of the finance standing committee scheduled on Wednesday, to approve the university's draft budget, could not meet due to lack of quorum. Since only three of the 14-member committee turned up for the meeting, the meeting could not be held. It is alleged that committee members abstained from the meeting on the political instructions of the govt. Because of the delay in passing the university's budget, the daily administration of the university is already in peril. KTU has defaulted its payment to the software company that runs the e-governance system. It is yet to pay Amazon for the cloud servers used for e-governance. None of the internet service providers have been paid their fees for months. Technical University Staff Organization, protesting against the negative and destructive stance of the statutory committee members, urged the VC to use his special powers and pass the budget or at least go for a vote on account before the university faces further paralysis.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store