The World Opinion

Tag: Sexual offences

  • 151 Sitting MPs And MLAs Face Cases Of Crimes Against Women, 16 Charged With Rape: ADR |

    New Delhi: As many as 151 sitting MPs and MLAs have declared cases related to crimes against women in their election affidavits, with West Bengal having the highest number of lawmakers facing such cases, according to a recent report by a poll rights body. 

    For the report, the Association for Democratic Reforms examined 4,693 out of 4,809 affidavits of sitting MPs and MLAs submitted to the Election Commission of India during elections between 2019 and 2024. The organisation identified 16 MPs and 135 MLAs facing cases related to crimes against women. 

    West Bengal tops the list with 25 sitting MPs and MLAs facing charges related to crimes against women, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 21 and Odisha with 17, according to the report that comes amid the nationwide protests over the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor in a state-run hospital in Kolkata and sexual assault of two children in Thane. 

    According to the report, there are 16 sitting MPs and MLAs who have declared cases related to rape under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 376, which carries a minimum sentence of 10 years and can be extend to life imprisonment. Of these, two are MPs and 14 MLAs. 

    The charges include repeated offenses against the same victim, further underscoring the gravity of these cases. 

    Among political parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has the highest number of representatives (54 MPs and MLAs) with declared cases related to crimes against women, followed by the Congress with 23 and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with 17, according to the report. 

    Both BJP and Congress have five sitting lawmakers each facing rape charges. 

    The ADR has issued strong recommendations in response to these findings. It stressed on the need for political parties to refrain from giving tickets to candidates with criminal backgrounds, especially those with charges of rape and other crimes against women. 

    The report called for the fast-tracking of court cases against MPs and MLAs, ensuring professional and thorough investigations by police. 
    The ADR urged voters to avoid electing candidates with such charges. 

  • Are living-in relationships are resulting in upward push in sexual offences, promiscuity: Madhya Pradesh Prime Court docket

    Through PTI

    INDORE: The “bane of live-in dating”, a “byproduct” of rights conferred below Article 21 of the Charter, is resulting in a upward push in sexual offences and promiscuity, the Madhya Pradesh Prime Court docket has stated.

    Justice Subodh Abhyankar of the Indore bench of the prime court docket made the commentary whilst rejecting a pre-arrest (anticipatory) bail plea of a 25-year-old guy accused of raping a lady.

    Within the order dated April 12, the court docket stated, “Being attentive to the spurt of such offences in recent years bobbing up out of live-in relationships, this court docket is pressured to look at that the bane of live-in-relationship is a derivative of Constitutional ensure as supplied below Artwork.21, engulfing the ethos of Indian society, and selling lascivious behaviour, giving additional upward push to sexual offences.. Article 21 promises the suitable to lifestyles and private liberty. The courts, through the years, have widened its ambit to hide many stuff together with the suitable to dignity and privateness.”

    Highlighting the upward push in felony disputes bobbing up out of live-in relationships, the prime court docket stated, “Those that sought after to milk this freedom are fast to embody it, however are completely ignorant that it has its personal obstacles, and does no longer confer any proper on any of the companions to such dating.”

    The court docket famous that the case diary and paperwork printed that the complainant lady were given pregnant greater than two times and aborted the foetus below power from the applicant (her then live-in spouse). “When their dating fell aside, the girl were given engaged to a couple different particular person, however the applicant, being a jilted lover resorted to blackmailing her,” the pass judgement on stated.

    The applicant even despatched video messages to the would-be in-laws of the girl the place he threatened that he would dedicate suicide and they’d even be held liable for it but even so the girl’s circle of relatives, the court docket famous.

    This ended in the cancellation of the girl’s marriage, the prime court docket stated, bringing up the prosecution’s case. Amit Singh Sisodia argued on behalf of the state executive on this case.