Archives for October 2016

New Delhi: Should the practice of triple talaq be abolished and whether a uniform civil code should be optional, the Law Commission on Friday has asked the public seeking its response on these sensitive issues broached perhaps for the first time.

Amid a raging debate on uniform civil code, the law panel has sought public views on the subject to revise and reform family laws, saying the aim is to address social injustice rather than the plurality of laws.

In an appeal issued on Friday, the Commission said the objective behind the endeavour is to address discrimination against vulnerable groups and harmonise the various cultural practices even as it assured the people that the “norms of no one class, group or community will dominate the tone and tenor of family law reforms”.

In an accompanying questionnaire, the Commission has asked whether the existing personal laws and customary practices need codification and whether it would benefit people.

Should the practice of triple talaq be abolished, retained or retained with suitable amendments; and whether a uniform civil code should be optional are among 16 queries by the commission.

It has also sought to know whether the uniform code should include subjects like divorce, marriage, adoption, child custody, succession and inheritance.

It has asked people and stakeholders as to whether a common code would infringe an individual’s right to freedom of religion.

“The Commission hopes to begin a healthy conversation about the viability of a uniform civil code and will focus on family laws of all religions and the diversity of customary practices, to address social injustice rather than plurality of laws,” law panel chairman Justice B S Chauhan (retd) said.

He said responding to the demands of social change, the panel will consider the opinions of all stakeholders and the general public to ensure that the “norms of no one class, group or community dominate the tone and tenor of family law reforms”.

Justice Chauhan said in the appeal that the family law reform has to view women’s rights as an end in itself rather than a matter of constitutional provision, religious right, and political debate.

Indicating the need for wider consultation before taking a call on a uniform civil code, the government had in June asked the Law Commission to examine the issue.

Implementation of a common code is part of the BJP’s election manifesto.

The move asking the law panel to examine the issue assumes significance as the Supreme Court had recently said it would prefer a wider debate, in public as well as in court, before taking a decision on the constitutional validity of ‘triple talaq’, which many complain is abused by Muslim men to arbitrarily divorce their wives.

However, a section of Muslim leaders has opposed any move to abolish triple talaq and other personal laws.

(Agencies)

New Delhi: Facing flak for his ‘dalali’ remarks on surgical strikes, Rahul Gandhi today said he has “unequivocally” supported the military action but is against the use of army in political posters and propaganda by BJP.

“I fully support the surgical strikes and I have said so unequivocally, but I will not support using the Indian Army in political posters and propaganda all across the country,” the Congress vice president said in a series of tweets.

He had yesterday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing him of “hiding behind the blood of soldiers” and said that he was politically exploiting their sacrifices.

“Jinhone Hindustan ke liye surgical strike kiye hain, unke khoon ke peeche aap chhupe hain. Unki aap dalali kar rahe ho. Yeh bilkul galat hai. {You (Modi) are hiding behind the blood of soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir and those who carried out the surgical strikes for India. You are exploiting their sacrifices, which is very wrong},” Rahul had said.

His ‘dalali’ barb has drawn strong reaction from BJP which called it “a new low in Indian politics”. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and other parties have also criticised the Congress leader’s remarks.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Digvijay Singh lashed out at the BJP leadership, alleging that they were touting the surgical strike on terror launchpads along the LoC as if they did it themselves instead of the army men.

“Modi-Amit Shah Parrikar and BJP Leaders are going around as if they have done the Surgical Strike! Give our Army & our Braveheart the Credit,” Singh tweeted.

Rahul had made the remarks yesterday while addressing a rally here, marking the culmination of his month-long ‘Deoria to Delhi kisan yatra’ in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.

(PTI)

Dehradun/Pithoragarh: A 35-year-old Dalit man was beheaded allegedly by a primary school teacher, who accused him of rendering “impure” a flour mill by using it before the upper caste villagers in Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar district, a senior police officer said today.

Sohan Ram died when he was assaulted with a sickle by Lalit Karnatak after he protested an insulting remark against his caste, Bageshwar SP Sukhbir Singh told PTI on phone.

The accused, who belong to an upper caste, was arrested yesterday and sent to Almora jail this morning, the SP said, adding that he was charged with murder and under provisions of the SC and ST (Prevention Of Atrocities) Act.

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening in Kadaria village of Bageshwar bordering Pithoragarh. The victim Sohan had gone to a flour mill owned by Kundan Kumar Singh to take back his wheat flour, the SP said.

When Lalit, who teaches at a primary school in a neighbouring village, saw Sohan at the flour mill, he made an insulting remark on his caste, saying the flour mill had been “rendered impure” by him.

As Sohan protested, Lalit attacked him with a sickle on the neck in a fit of rage, beheading him.

According to villagers, both Dalits and upper castes had been using the mill. But in view of the ongoing Navratri festival the upper castes had issued a diktat to the Dalit families to use the mill only after flour has been prepared for offering to deities.

(Agencies)

New Delhi: The BJP-AAP war of words on cross-LOC surgical strikes today intensified as the Arvind Kejriwal-led party accused Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar of “demeaning” the armed forces and threatened to file a police complaint against him.

Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra called Parrikar “Shah Rangeela”, the Mughal Emperor who it is claimed indulged in merrymaking instead of paying attention to his empire, and said while a high alert has been issued across the country, the Defence Minister was busy “celebrating over the corpses of martyred soldiers”.

It also lashed out Parrikar for his remarks comparing the army to Hanuman.

On October 1, at an event in Dehradun, Parrikar had made a reference to the Ramayana in which the monkey god crossed an ocean in a single stride after he was reminded about his extraordinary powers by Jamwant.

“Indian troops were like Hanuman who did not quite know their prowess before the surgical strikes,” Parrikar had said.

Addressing a news conference, senior party leader Sanjay Singh said by giving such a statement, Parrikar was insulting the army which has time and again proved itself and did a remarkable job in the 1948, 1965, 1971 and Kargil war with Pakistan.

The AAP said it will approach the police to file a complaint against Parrikar in the matter.

Its attack came on a day Parrikar questioned the “loyalty” of those who doubted the Army and sought proof of surgical strikes across the LoC.

BJP had earlier accused AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal of seeking proof in the garb of his statement congratulating the PM and army on the surgical strike.

AAP also alleged that BJP was doing politics over surgical strikes and claimed that such a military operation was not carried out for the first time as being “tom-tommed” by the saffron party.

“BJP’s GVL Narsimha Rao said that for the first time the army has been made aware of its capability. By saying this, we are demeaning the military and its sacrifice. Such statements are shameful and both Parrikar and Rao should apologise to the armed forces,” Sanjay Singh said, adding that in the last 15 years, surgical strikes were carried out nine times.

The AAP leader’s criticism came after posters congratulating the Prime Minister came up across Delhi and also in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.

Mishra asked whether Parrikar has forgotten that army has been honoured with 21 Param Vir Chakra and 63 Ashok Chakra awards.

“You are not aware of army’s strength, which is why the BJP is kneeling before (PDP chief and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister) Mehbooba Mufti.

“Parrikar is not aware of army’s strength which is why you invited the ISI to investigate the Pathankot attack. Give army the free hand and then it will show the enemy its place,” Kapil Mishra said in his blog post.

On Tuesday, Mishra had publicly taken on Mehbooba at an event here asking her if she considered Burhwan Wani and Afzal Guru as terrorists or not, inviting protests from her entourage. Later he left the venue, saying he does not want to share the dais with her.

Taking a jibe at Prime Minister, Mishra said even Narendra Modi has not applauded the army. “They have made a 56 inch stage and the show is on.”

(Agencies)