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Prez gives assent to ordinance to fight sexual crimes

[email protected] (Naeem Siddeeq)
February 4, 2013

prezNew Delhi, Feb 4: President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday gave his assent to an ordinance purported to give more teeth to the criminal laws to check crime against women, despite protests from several organisations.

Many women’s groups had contended that the ordinance bypassed all vital recommendations of the Justice J S Verma Committee, constituted to suggest changes to the criminal laws in the country, in the aftermath of the gang-rape of a 23-year-old student here on December 16.

Though the government said the ordinance would be open to review once it was placed before Parliament, the women’s groups have planned a protest at Jantar Mantar on Monday and a signature campaign. They are planning another protest on February 7, besides holding a “vigil” outside Parliament when it meets for the Budget Session on February 21.

The “Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance,” passed by the Union Cabinet on Friday, proposed capital punishment for violators in the rarest of rare cases, which was not in consonance with the Verma Committee recommendations.

“The President of India has accorded his assent to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2013, today,” a Union Home Ministry release stated on Sunday. The ordinance comes into effect immediately. It will, however, lapse if Parliament fails to pass it within six months.

A section within the government was not in favour of bringing in an ordinance. They wanted the Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs to go through the Verma Committee recommendations and analyse them along with the original criminal amendment bill.

The government went all guns blazing for the ordinance to speed up amendments and checkmate the Opposition, which is likely to launch an onslaught during the Budget Session.

The women’s organisations had held a press conference to denounce the government’s move, saying it was against the spirit of the Verma Committee report. Besides, the ordinance proposes to replace the word “rape” with “sexual assault,” which is another deviation from the Verma report.

Though the BJP has welcomed the government’s initiative in making changes to the criminal laws through an ordinance, the Left parties have expressed reservation

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News Network
July 23,2020

New Delhi, Jul 23: With the highest single-day spike of 45,720 cases, India's coronavirus count crossed 12 lakh mark on Thursday.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed that 1,129 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours.

The total number of coronavirus cases stand at 12,38,635 including 4,26,167 active cases, 7,82,606 cured/discharged/migrated. The cumulative toll has reached 29,861 deaths.

Maharashtra has reported 3,37,607 cases, highest in the country followed by Tamil Nadu with 1,86,492 cases. Delhi coronavirus count has reached 1,26,323 cases.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 1,50,75,369 samples were tested till July 22 out of which 3,50,823 samples were tested yesterday.

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News Network
April 16,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 16: Seven fresh cases of COVID-19 were reported from Kerala on Thursday, taking the total number of active cases to 147 in the state,even as over 88,000 people are under observation.

On Wednesday, only one positive case had been reported, thelowest in weeks.

While Kannur reported four cases, two were from Kozhikode and one from Kasaragod, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reportershere.

Five of those affected had come from abroad, while two have got it through contact with infected people.

Samples of 27 people, including 24 from the worst affected Kasaragod, have turned negative on Thursday.

He said 394 coronavirus cases have so farbeen detected from the state.

Over 80,000 people are under observation, including 532 in various hospitals.

Vijayan said 17,400 samples have been sent for testing of which 16,459 have returned negative.

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Agencies
January 24,2020

New Delhi, Jan 24: The Election Commission of India on Friday told the Supreme Court that its 2018 direction asking poll candidates to declare their criminal antecedents in electronic and print media has not helped curb criminalisation of politics. The poll panel suggested that instead of asking candidates to declare criminal antecedents in the media, political parties should be asked not to give tickets to candidates with criminal background.

A bench of Justices R F Nariman and S Ravindra Bhat asked the ECI to come up with a framework within one week which can help curb criminalisation of politics in nation's interest.

The top court asked the petitioner BJP leader and advocate Ashiwini Upadhyay and the poll panel to sit together and come up with suggestions which would help him in curbing criminalisation of politics.

In September 2018, a five-judge Constitution bench had unanimously held that all candidates will have to declare their criminal antecedents to the Election Commission before contesting polls and had called for a wider publicity, through print and electronic media about antecedents of candidates.

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Satya Vishwasi
 - 
Saturday, 25 Jan 2020

What about those criminals who were already in parliament and vidahan sabhas? shall the ECI cancel their positions?

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