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Uttar Pradesh: Hindu women stopped from carrying out ‘Basauda Pujan’ for Sheetala Mata near Idgah mosque in Mathura

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Uttar Pradesh: Hindu women stopped from carrying out ‘Basauda Pujan’ for Sheetala Mata near Idgah mosque in Mathura

On Wednesday, a group of around 20-25 Hindu women in Mathura was stopped by the members of the Muslim community from performing the Hindu rituals of Basauda Pujan. The women had gathered at the water well near the Idgah mosque to worship the Goddess Sheetala Mata. Clashes broke out between the two communities as Muslims accused the Hindu women of unnecessarily crowding the area around the mosque.

According to the reports, the Hindu women had arrived at the water well near the Idgah mosque at around 5 am to worship Sheetala Mata on the occasion of the Basauda Pujan. They were stopped by the members of the Muslim community, who did not allow them to carry out the Hindu ritual. The Govindnagar Police then reached the spot and tried to pacify the matter.

The Police explained to the Muslim community about the ritual and asked them to maintain peace, but to no avail. As the situation frazzled, the Govindnagar Police informed the Provincial Armed Constabulary who advanced to cool the matter down. The women worshipped Sheetala Mata and accomplished Basauda Pujan in presence of the Police officers.

Reports mention that the Hindu women have been visiting the water well and the Sheetala Mata temple near the Idgah mosque for Basauda Pujan for the past many years. Several other Hindu rituals are also performed at the well. The Muslims however kept on arguing that no such Pujan had happened at the spot earlier and that the Hindu women had crowded the area around the mosque. Circle officer Abhishek Tiwari meanwhile stated that the Basauda Pujan is a part of local tradition and the rituals should be allowed to happen. The locals also perform ‘mundans’ for their children in the area, as per the Amar Ujala report.

Stale food is offered to the Sheetala Mata on Basauda Pujan-

Basauda Pujan is a part of the Hindu tradition that is celebrated in many states as a symbol of ‘change of the season’. Hindus worship Sheetala Mata and pray for the well-being of their family and especially the small children. Sheetala Mata is considered the deity who grants wellness from diseases like chickenpox and skin ailments. The most amusing fact about the Basauda Pujan is that the deity Sheetala Mata is offered stale food and the same is consumed by devotees as ‘prasad’. The women cook delicious food offerings for the deity one day before the Pujan and keep it aside to make it stale.

Interestingly, it is believed in many parts of India that on the day of Basouda Pujan, Hindu devotees must stay away from the heat and hot substances. They should consume stale cold meals, cold beverages like curd milk, or ‘raab’ (traditional beverage made using curd, bajra flour, and cumin seeds). They must use cold water, also for domestic purposes. However, they can return to their daily ‘warm meal’ routine only after 24 hours of the Pujan.

Basauda Pujan is also called as ‘Sheetala Saptami’ or ‘Sheetala Ashtami’ and is celebrated every year around the Ashtami date of the Krishna Paksha of Chaitra month of the Hindu calendar.

TMC demands removal of West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar for raising his voice against the Birbhum massacre

OpIndia Staff
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TMC demands removal of West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar for raising his voice against the Birbhum massacre

A delegation of TMC MPs met Home Minsiter Amit Shah in Delhi regarding the aftermath of violent massacre in Birbhum which took place on Tuesday night. TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay demanded Amit Shah the removal of West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar after he questioned the Mamata Banerjee-led state government over the killings.

Bandyopadhyay after his meeting with HM Shah said, “We’ve said that Governor of West Bengal should be removed, in view of the Rampurhat, Birbhum incident. His work is against our constitutional system. The parliamentary democratic system is under threat.” The MP from Bengal has forwarded a letter to the Home Minister from Mamata Banerjee regarding the same. He assured that while his Chief Minister is catering to the situation in a fine manner, no guilty will be spared who perpetrated the violence.

On March 22 late-night, a group of enraged miscreants set ablaze around 12 homes which resulted in the gruesome death of eight people including women and innocent children in Birbhum’s Rampurhat. The autopsy report of the burnt bodies shows that the people were beaten before they were locked in their homes before the houses were set on fire. The massacre had taken place in retaliation of the alleged murder of a TMC leader.

Taking cognizance of the violence, West Bengal CM Jagdeep Dhankar said he is considerably pained in a video address released on Twitter. “The Birbhum indicates the state is in grip of violence culture and lawlessness,” he wrote.

Attacking West Bengal Governor over his remarks, Mamata Banerjee said, “One ladsahab is sitting here and making statements every time that the situation in West Bengal is bad.” Countering Banerjee over her condescending remarks, Governor Dhankhar wrote an open letter to the Chief Minsiter the next day, asking her to calm down her ‘accusatory stance’ and not to indulge in ‘diversionary tactics’ while the violence has broke in the state. He wrote, “In the face of such enormity, I cannot ‘fiddle’ in Raj Bhawan and sit as a mute spectator. That would be unpardonable abdication of my constitutional duty.”

While the West Bengal Governor is in no mood to maintain silence over the Birbhum Burnings, the TMC has accused him of ‘meddling unnecessarily’ in the matter while the investigation is on. In a counter letter to Dhankar, Mamata Banerjee wrote, “It pains me that you have chosen an unfortunate incident which occurred in Rampurhat on March 21 that resulted in the loss of precious lives, to pass sweeping and uncalled for comments on the law and order situation in the state.”

On Thursday, Mamata Banerjee reached Baghtoi village in Rampurhat to meet the relatives of the victims killed in the violence. Handing over the cheque of Rs. 5 lakh to the kin of those killed in the violence, she assured that financial aid of Rs 2 lakh will be given for reconstructing affected houses.

This was not the first time when a war of words broke between Mamata Banerjee and WB governor Dhankar. The Governor took a fierce stand in Bengal in exposing before the world the cases of post-poll violence which emerged after the 2021 assembly elections. In 2022, when the Governor had raised questions about the rising human rights violations in the state, Sudip Bandyopadhyay had made a similar demand for the removal of Dhankhar before the President.

Preparing ground to blame Centre for non-fulfilment of AAP’s freebie promises? Punjab CM asks for Rs 50,000 crore aid per year

OpIndia Staff
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Preparing ground to blame Centre for non-fulfilment of AAP’s freebie promises? Punjab CM asks for Rs 50,000 crore aid per year

On March 24, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann sought Rs 50,000 crore per year for two years from Centre as financial aid claiming the financial health of the state is very poor. As per media reports, Mann informed PM about the financial condition of the state and told him that there are debt worth Rs 3 lakh crores. Further, he demanded a special package for Punjab worth Rs 50,000 crores for two years to improve the state’s financial condition. In a video statement, he said, “I met PM Modi today. He congratulated me on becoming CM of Punjab.”

In a tweet in Punjabi informing about his meeting with PM Modi, Mann said, “Met Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji today to discuss the issues of Punjab. I sincerely hope to get support from the central government to resolve state’s issues.” Mann has claimed if the state gets the package for two years, his government would be able to stabilize the financial condition of Punjab.

One of the major poll promises of AAP was freebies to Punjab people. AAP chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had promised round the clock free electricity supply to everyone in Punjab. He had also promised Rs 1000 monthly financial aid to all women above age of 18 years in Punjab. He had also promised to renovate all schools and hospitals in Punjab and establishment of ‘Pind Clinics’ along the lines of Mohalla Clinics where everyone will be treated free of cost.

Soon after swearing in, Mann had announced 25,000 government jobs, which will also come from the state exchequer.

However, after having made these promises of freebies, Mann has claimed the state is under tremendous debt and sought the Centre’s help. This led to speculation that should the Aam Aadmi Party led government in Punjab fail to fulfil the freebie promises, they might put the blame squarely on Central government, a strategy Arvind Kejriwal has used quite often.

Amusingly, as pointed out by political humour Twitter handle Political Kida, Kejriwal had already listed out how he would turn the 3,00,000 crore Punjab debt into surplus.

He had claimed that he would eliminate the corruption and save Rs 34,000 crore, get rid of sand mafia and save Rs 20,000 crore revenue. However, it now seems the math did not fall through and newly elected AAP government in Punjab has given up on eliminating corruption in Punjab.

Kashmiri Hindus demand the restoration of over 200 destroyed temples that were attacked by Islamists in the 1990s

OpIndia Staff
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Kashmiri Hindus demand the restoration of over 200 destroyed temples that were attacked by Islamists in the 1990s

Kashmiri Hindus residing in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir have requested the restoration of over 200 Hindu temples that were destroyed by Islamic terrorists during the targeted violence against the community which broke out in the 1990s. The temples vandalised during the continued violence in the valley, still remain non-functional, existing in a dire, damaged state.

As per a Times Now report, victims of the Islamist violence and exodus in the Kashmir valley have reiterated their demand for restoration and reconstruction of Hindu temples that were vandalised and desecrated in the 1990s. Government figures show as reported by the Omar Abdullah government in 2012 in the state assembly that over 438 temples in the valley had been damaged over the years. 57 temples were vandalised in Srinagar alone, 56 faced damage in the Anantnag district as well. During the attacks, many of the temples were burnt, with deities desecrated and idols broken.

Activists from the Kashmiri Pandit community have now demanded the full restoration of these temples to their original state from the ruling dispensation after successive governments over the years have failed to do so. Talking with Times Now, a Kashmiri Pandit resident said, “This has been our long-standing demand to successive governments including the present one to restore the centres of our faith in the valley. We’ve demanded a bill for the protection and preservation of our religious sites, shrines and temples so that there’s a legal recognition to face this issue.”

The large-scale vandalisation of Hindu temples during the genocide

While the destruction of Hindu temples remains a contested issue in our history writing, often ignored is the dark chapter of vandalisation and plundering of temples in the Kashmir valley as late as the 1990s. The religious isolation followed by targeting of the Hindus in Kashmir valley by Islamic terrorists also included attacks on their temples and age-old shrines. The Islamic radicalisation and resulting violence against the minority Hindu community saw the mass desecration of temples across the Jammu and Kashmir state in the districts of Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Badgam and Pulwama.

The year 1992 witnessed some of the gruesome attacks, vandalisation, arson and looting of Hindu temples including the Raghunath Mandir in Srinagar which witnessed successive terrorist attacks. Nandkishore Temple in Baramulla, Shadipur Temple in Srinagar, Shri Vishnu Temple on the Bank of River Jhelum among others were the prominent temples desecrated during Islamist violence.

After the abrogation of article 370 in Kashmir, the BJP had drawn a plan for re-opening the thousands of temples in the now union territory which remain shattered. In 2020, restoration of the centuries-old Raghunath temple – one of the few temples dedicated to Rama commenced after thirty years of dilapidation.

While the dialogue of Anupam Kher in The Kashmir Files highlighting the region as a land of Saraswati, Shiva and Panchatantra is winning hearts, local Kashmiri Hindus want the temples of the land to be revived to their lost glory.

Delhi: UDF MPs from Kerala fight with Delhi Police during a protest against Pinrayi Vijayan govt’s Silver Line project

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: UDF MPs from Kerala fight with Delhi Police during a protest against Pinrayi Vijayan govt’s Silver Line project

A scuffle broke out between United Democratic Front (UDF) leaders from Kerala and the Police during a protest on Thursday morning in New Delhi. The opposition leaders were protesting against Pinarayi Vijayan govt’s ambitious K-Silver Line High-Speed railway corridor project. 

The UDF opposition leaders led by the Congress in Kerala were seen fighting with the Police after the officials stopped them outside Vijay Chowk near the Parliament. Taking out a March outside the Parliament campus, the leaders demanded that the Silver-Line corridor is not an economically viable project and hence should be scrapped. The project has been a much contentious issue in the state over the LDF government’s suspicious land acquisition activities for the project. Several environmental activists have also criticised the project saying that the corridor passes through ecologically sensitive areas.

The development has taken place on the day when Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan is in Delhi to seek a meeting with PM Modi. KC Venugopal, senior Congress leader from Kerala who participated in the protest said that the project is anti-people. “K-Silver line project proposed by Kerala govt is anti-people. Most people are in fear of eviction. Kerala is an economically fragile state, this is not an economically viable project. Now CM (Pinarayi Vijayan) is going to meet the PM to get a sanction,” said Venugopal while talking to ANI.

Alleging that the BJP is in favour of the LDF-led project, Venugopal said, “We are seeking the PM to see the concern of the people of Kerala & to try to stop the CM of Kerala. There’s a feeling that CPI(M) & BJP will be together in this project & that the PM will give consent.”

Earlier yesterday, Congress workers uprooted survey stones laid for the railway corridor project in Ernakulam to oppose the project. It was reported earlier that some of these stones were laid on the road in the middle night without taking the residents into consideration. The project has caused much political churn in the state, wherein the opposition parties had also disrupted the Budget session in the Kerala Assembly and had staged a boycott to condemn the project.

The Silver Line project remains an ambitious high-speed railway project of the state government, which is expected to reduce the travel time between Kasargod and Thiruvananthapuram (north and south ends of the state) to four hours. The total length of the project is estimated to be 529.45 km while it is estimated to cost Rs 63,940 crore from the state exchequer.

Ravindra Jadeja succeeds MS Dhoni as captain of the Chennai Super Kings

OpIndia Staff
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Ravindra Jadeja succeeds MS Dhoni as captain of the Chennai Super Kings

In a major development, former Indian Cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has opted to give over the command of the Chennai Super Kings to Ravindra Jadeja. The Chennai Super Kings revealed this on their official website.

Jadeja, who has been with the Chennai Super Kings since 2012, will be only the third player to head the team. Dhoni will continue to play for the Chennai Super Kings this season and in the future.

Ravindra Jadeja is now regarded as one of the best all-rounders in the world. He is one of the finest players in the Indian Premier League and is also regarded as one of the best fielders in the recent history of Cricket.

Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja was a part of the 2008 Indian U-19 cricket squad, which was led by Virat Kohli and won the World Cup in Malaysia. He made his One-Day International (ODI) debut against Sri Lanka on February 8, 2009, hitting an undefeated 60 off 77 balls. Over four years later, on December 13, 2012, he made his Test debut against England in Nagpur.

When he struck Sam Billings at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on January 22, 2017, Jadeja became the first Indian left-arm spinner to take 150 One Day International wickets. In March 2017, he overtook Ravichandran Ashwin as the world’s best bowler, a position he held for a long period.

At the 2012 IPL Players Auction, the Chennai Super Kings purchased Jadeja for the first time. After the Chennai Super Kings were banned from the IPL for two seasons, he was purchased by the Gujarat Lions in the 2016 IPL Players Auction.

Indian Premier League 2022

In IPL 2022, a total of ten teams will compete. The IPL has so far been contested by eight teams. The addition of two new teams, the Lucknow Supergiants, and Gujarat Titans, makes this season one of the most competitive in history. The IPL 2022 will begin on April 2 and conclude on June 3.

Massacre in Bengal: Autopsy report reveals victims were brutally beaten up before being burnt alive

OpIndia Staff
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Massacre in Bengal: Autopsy report reveals victims were brutally beaten up before being burnt alive

The autopsy report of the eight victims who were charred to death in Bogtui village in West Bengal’s Birbhum district has revealed that they were mercilessly beaten up before the carnage. The forensic experts from Rampurhat hospital, where the body of the deceased’s was sent for post-mortem reportedly told news agency PTI that the victims were first badly beaten up then set on fire.

Calcutta HC orders state govt to submit status report on Birbhum massacre probe

Notably, after taking sou-motu cognizance of the Birbhum massacre in West Bengal, the Calcutta High Court had issued directions to the state government to ensure a proper probe of the case. Taking up the matter on March 23, the court asked the state government to submit the case diary and a report on the investigation so far by Thursday, March 24.

The court also issued directions for the protection of evidence and the crime scene. The court ordered that the scene must be continuously monitored through CCTV cameras. The court directed the state govt to “immediately install CCTV cameras with DVR having sufficient memory covering all angles of the scene of occurrence and will do continuous recording until further orders.” Cameras will have to be installed in the presence of the District Judge of Purba Bardhaman district.

The Calcutta High Court directed that a team from CFSL in Delhi will visit the site to collect forensic evidence. The order said that the evidence will have to be collected without any delay.

The bench also asked the DGP and the IGP to ensure the protection of witnesses in the case.

Birbhum Massacre

On Tuesday, March 22, unidentified miscreants had set a dozen houses on fire, killing at least eight people. The incident occurred in the Rampurhat area of West Bengal’s Birbhum district.

According to reports, the miscreants locked the houses from outside before torching them, leaving no room for the occupants to flee. The incident occurred following the assassination of a Trinamool Congress (TMC) functionary named Bhadu Sheikh on Monday, March 21.

So far, at least 20 people have been arrested in connection with the carnage. On one hand, CM Mamata Banerjee had promised an impartial investigation, while on the other she attempted to downplay the incident by claiming that such incidents are more common in other states such as UP, Bihar, and Rajasthan. She also accused the opposition of attempting to defame the state by exploiting the incident.

Islamists and ‘liberals’ have a meltdown after Delhi court rejects Umar Khalid’s bail plea under UAPA

OpIndia Staff
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Islamists and ‘liberals’ have a meltdown after Delhi court rejects Umar Khalid’s bail plea under UAPA

On March 24, a Delhi court rejected the bail plea of one of the prime accused of the larger conspiracy case of Delhi Riots 2020. Soon after the court announced the judgement, so-called liberals and Islamists had a massive meltdown on social media platforms.

TMC’s Saket Gokhale called Khalid a political prisoner and alleged that the court rejected his fundamental rights. He urged everyone not to “forget” Khalid. “Every day that he spends in jail is a black mark on Indian democracy,” he claimed.

Political analyst Muzzammil Imam alleged the real culprits are never caught, but the innocents get punished by the courts.

The Wire journalist Kaushik Raj pointed fingers at Yati Narsinghanand and others, claiming they were roaming free after making allegedly inflammatory speeches, but Khalid, who ‘protested’ against CAA-NRC, was denied bail. Khalid is accused of being part of larger conspiracy in Delhi riots.

Advocate Areeb Uddin questioned why the court deferred the decision three times and then rejected the bail.

Aatish Taseer, whose OCI card was revoked by the Indian Government, said, “the day after Bhagat Singh’s death anniversary, to honour those societies that do NOT demand martyrdom and sacrifice, those that allow you to live (rather than die) for your country, and that do not fetishise the terrible suffering Umar Khalid has had to endure.”

Washington Post columnist accused of financial fraud in name of COVID relief donation called it tyranny.

Senior Advocate and former AAP leader Prashant Bhushan called it unfortunate and claimed the evidence against Khalid was ‘fabricated’.

Former AMU student and another Islamist Sharjeel Usmani insinuated that the judiciary in India is hand in gloves with the Indian government, thereby casting aspersions that the independent body is not so.

Umar Khalid was booked under UAPA

The Delhi Police apprehended Umar Khalid on September 13, 2020, and charged him on November 22, 2020, under several provisions of the UAPA and the Indian Penal Code. In July 2021, Khalid filed a bail application.

Bihar: Three MLAs of NDA ally Vikassheel Insaan Party quits party and joins BJP, making it the single largest party

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Three MLAs of NDA ally Vikassheel Insaan Party quits party and joins BJP, making it the single largest party

In a significant political development in Bihar, all the three MLAs of Bihar minister Mukesh Sahani-led Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) quit the party on Wednesday and joined BJP.

According to the reports, the three MLAs from Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) – Rajoo Kumar Singh from Sahebganj, Mishri Lal Yadav from Alinagar and Swarna Singh from Gaura Bauram, quit the party and extended their support to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The three legislators met Bihar Vidhan Sabha Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha on Wednesday to submit their letter of support in favour of the BJP.

Later in the day, Bihar BJP president Dr Sanjay Jaiswal, deputy CMs Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi welcomed the three former VIP MLAs into the party fold. The VIP is an ally of the ruling NDA comprising BJP, Janata Dal-United (JDU) and the Hindustan Awami Morcha (HAM). VIP chief Mukesh Sahani currently serves as the Minister for Animal husbandry and fisheries resources in the Nitish Kumar cabinet.

It is important to note that VIP had won four seats in the 2020 Bihar elections, while Mukesh Sahani had lost his own and was later given an MLC seat.

The resignation of three MLAs from the party came hours after the VIP chief visited Bihar’s Muzaffarpur to attend the filing of nomination of Geeta Kumari, who has been fielded as the VIP candidate for the by-election to the Bochaha assembly seat. The seat fell vacant after the death of VIP MLA Musafir Paswan.

Meanwhile, a few BJP leaders have asked Sahani to resign from the minister’s post. Sahani was on the target of the BJP leadership ever since he decided to field candidates against the BJP in seven seats in the upcoming legislative council election in the state. The VIP chief had also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, angering the BJP leadership.

With the joining of the three MLAs, the total number of saffron party MLAs has risen to 77 from the existing 74, making it the single largest party in Bihar. Earlier RJD was the single largest party with 75 MLAs.

‘Rape is rape, marriage doesn’t give any special privilege’, Karnataka HC declines to drop rape charges against man accused of raping his wife

OpIndia Staff
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‘Rape is rape, marriage doesn’t give any special privilege’, Karnataka HC declines to drop rape charges against man accused of raping his wife

In a crucial judgment on marital rape, the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday refused to drop rape charges framed by a trial court against a man for sexually assaulting his wife. The Court ruled that the marriage doesn’t confer any special male privilege or a license for unleashing a brutal beast on the wife.

“A man is a man; an act is an act; rape is a rape, be it performed by a man the ‘husband’ on the woman ‘wife’”, said a single judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna of the Karnataka High Court. The Court was hearing the case from the year 2017 where a woman had filed a case against her husband who was allegedly treating her like a ‘sex slave’.

Upholding the rape charges against the husband, the High Court said that the age-old, regressive thought that ‘husbands are the rulers of their wives, their body, mind, and soul’ should be effaced. However, the court did not completely strike down the marital rape exception included in the Indian Penal Code, which says ‘sexual intercourse by a man with his wife, the latter not being under 15 years of age, is not rape’. The Court clarified that the order pertains to the framing of charges against the husband and is not about whether marital rapes should be recognized as an offense or not.

Court Findings

According to the reports, Justice Nagaprasanna maintained that the institution of marriage does not confer, cannot confer, and in my considered view, should not be construed to confer, any special male privilege or a license for unleashing of a brutal beast. If it is punishable to a man, it should be punishable to a man albeit, the man being a husband.

“A brutal act of sexual assault on the wife, against her consent, albeit by the husband, cannot b nbvut be termed to be a rape. Such sexual assault by a husband on his wife will have grave consequences on the mental sheet of the wife, it has both psychological and physiological impacts on her. Such acts of husbands scar the soul of the wives. It is, therefore, imperative for the lawmakers to now hear the voices of silence,” the court added.

The Court meanwhile also referred to the Indian Constitution and said that the Constitution treats women as equal to men and considers marriage as an association of ‘equals’. “The Constitution does not in any sense depict the woman to be subordinate to a man”, it said adding that under the Constitution- rights are equal, protection is also equal.

Husband charged for rape, dowry harassment, assault under IPC 376, 498A, 354

The Bengaluru-based woman who had filed the complaint against her husband in the year 2017, after 11 years of marriage, also stated that her husband had forced her in front of their daughter. The Bengaluru Police post-investigation had earlier filed a charge sheet against the man for rape, dowry harassment, assault of a woman under IPC 376, 498A, 354. The Police had also charged him under the POCSO Act for sexual offenses against a child. The trial court eventually framed charges for rape, cruelty by husband, and criminal intimidation.

In the year 2018, the 43-year-old man challenged the decision of the trial court and appealed to the High Court for dropping charges of rape and sexual assault on a child brought against him by the Police. The charge sheet by the husband also maintained that rape charges were not applicable against a man who was the husband of the alleged rape victim. The Karnataka HC however ruled otherwise.

It is important to note that in January this year, the Delhi High Court while hearing the petition relating to the marital rape had questioned how the dignity of a married woman is not affected as an unmarried woman when the man imposes herself upon her. The HC had reserved its judgment as the Centre refused to take a stand without consulting the stakeholders (states and NCW). However, in August 2021, the Chhattishgarh High Court had acquitted a man charged with marital rape stating that sexual intercourse or any sexual act between a legally wedded couple is not rape even if done by force.

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