The Times Patriot

New Delhi – Former Chief Justice of India UU Lalit has raised concerns that the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 missed a crucial opportunity to make rape laws gender-neutral, leaving adult male victims of sexual assault without legal recourse. Delivering a lecture organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association on “BNS 2023 and IPC 1860: Continuity, Change and Challenges”, Justice Lalit said the repeal of Section 377 IPC has left a legal vacuum. “If an adult male is subjected to sexual assault without consent, there is today no provision under which he can ventilate his grievance. That to my mind is completely an incorrect idea,” he observed, adding, “We have not only thrown the bathwater, we have also thrown the baby.” Justice Lalit recalled that after the 2012 Nirbhaya case, the Justice JS Verma Committee had recommended making Section 375 IPC gender-neutral. A 2013 ordinance even included male victims, but this provision was not retained in subsequent laws. He noted some progress ...

In Patrapalli village of V. Kot mandal, Chittoor district, a 19-year-old woman, Shobha, reportedly took her own life after her parents opposed her relationship with a man she had met on Instagram. According to reports, Shobha had expressed her wish to marry him, but her parents tried to dissuade her. On Tuesday, following another heated argument with them, she allegedly hanged herself from a ceiling fan at her home, leading to her death. * * * Disclaimer: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please know that you're not alone and help is available. Talking to someone can make a difference. suicide Prevention Helpline (available 24x7): iCall — 9152987821 AASRA — 91-9820466726 Vandrevala Foundation — 1860 266 2345 or 9999 666 555 These helplines offer free, confidential support. Please reach out. Your life matters.

New Delhi – The Delhi High Court has strongly criticised a woman for using her minor daughter “as a weapon” against her estranged husband by filing a false case under the POCSO Act. Dismissing her plea to summon the child’s grandmother and paternal aunts as accused, the court termed her actions a gross misuse of the judicial process. Justice Arun Monga, in his September 2 order, remarked: “The matter becomes even more disturbing because the mother chose to use her own minor daughter as a weapon in this personal battle, thereby exploiting the child’s trauma for collateral purposes. Such conduct not only undermines the integrity and fairness of the proceedings but also trivialises the gravity of offences under POCSO Act by reducing them to instruments of vengeance.” The case dates back to 2020, when the woman lodged an FIR alleging sexual abuse of her daughter by the father and cousins. She later moved the High Court against a trial court order that dismissed her application under the PO...