Showing posts with label Anti-men. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anti-men. Show all posts
Thursday, 29 August 2013
Tuesday, 27 August 2013
Bill to negate Supreme Court verdict gets Rajya Sabha nod
NEW DELHI: Contending that there was a need to check growing "criminalisation" in politics, Rajya Sabha on Tuesday "unanimously passed" a bill negating a Supreme Court verdict to allow people in jail to contest polls.
Representation of the People (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2013 provides for a change in the act of 1951. The amendment to sub-clause 5 of section 62 of the RPA, if passed by Parliament, shall come into effect from July 10, 2013, the day the Supreme Court gave its judgement that those in jail can not contest election.
"The fact is that the political class is the most accountable class in the country. Politicians are accountable to Parliament, to the Election Commission, to the country, to the people, to whom we go every after five years. We are the most accountable set of people in the country," Law minister Kapil Sibal said in his reply after a discussion on the bill.
"It is we who have passed the law to make us accountable. It is us who have decided to disclose our assets. Which other institution has taken such steps to make themselves more accountable," he said.
Sibal, who was congratulated by all members for bringing the Bill, said the apex court's order might perhaps not have come had the "environment" been different.
"I dare say, in an another environment, we perhaps would not get such a judgement. The environment is that political class is being looked upon with suspicion," Sibal said.
After examining the Supreme Court order, Government had filed a review petition, but instead of waiting for the outcome, it felt the need to "suitably" address the situation. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bill-to-negate-Supreme-Court-verdict-gets-Rajya-Sabha-nod/articleshow/22097825.cms
Representation of the People (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2013 provides for a change in the act of 1951. The amendment to sub-clause 5 of section 62 of the RPA, if passed by Parliament, shall come into effect from July 10, 2013, the day the Supreme Court gave its judgement that those in jail can not contest election.
"The fact is that the political class is the most accountable class in the country. Politicians are accountable to Parliament, to the Election Commission, to the country, to the people, to whom we go every after five years. We are the most accountable set of people in the country," Law minister Kapil Sibal said in his reply after a discussion on the bill.
"It is we who have passed the law to make us accountable. It is us who have decided to disclose our assets. Which other institution has taken such steps to make themselves more accountable," he said.
Sibal, who was congratulated by all members for bringing the Bill, said the apex court's order might perhaps not have come had the "environment" been different.
"I dare say, in an another environment, we perhaps would not get such a judgement. The environment is that political class is being looked upon with suspicion," Sibal said.
After examining the Supreme Court order, Government had filed a review petition, but instead of waiting for the outcome, it felt the need to "suitably" address the situation. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bill-to-negate-Supreme-Court-verdict-gets-Rajya-Sabha-nod/articleshow/22097825.cms
Men's rights activists hope Lok Sabha won't okay 'husband killer law'
The
Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, dubbed as a husband killer law by men’s
rights activists, was approved by the Rajya Sabha on Monday. Men’s
rights groups who have been staging nationwide protests and holding
debates on the issue say they will continue to meet with lawmakers to
persuade them not to pass the bill in the Lok Sabha.
Virag Dhulia, a leading men’s rights activist, told rediff.com that they were trying to establish communication with members of Parliament on the subject. “We are telling them about the problems this bill would cause as the male in general is the stakeholder in this draconian law. We are trying to tell them what changes ought to be made to this bill and how, if it gets presidential assent, it would become a disaster. We hope our lawmakers would take into consideration all this and not to pass bills merley keeping in mind vote bank politics.”
Among other things the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill empowers the courts to decide the compensation amount for the wife and children from the husband’s inherited and inheritable properties once the marriage ends legally. The Bill allows parties to file for divorce on the ground of “irretrievable breakdown” of marriage. Both parties have to live apart for at least three years before filing such a petition.
Dhulia points out, “Basically the hard-earned money and property of the man will not belong to him” once this Bill becomes law.
The Bill also provides for restricting the grant of a decree of divorce if the court is satisfied that adequate provision for maintenance of the children has not been made consistent with the financial capacity of the parties to the marriage.
Also, the wife has the right to oppose the grant of divorce on the ground that the dissolution of marriage could result in grave financial hardship, but no such provision has been made for the husband. “Law Minister Kapil Sibal has totally ignored the National Crime Records Bureau data which states that every year more than 65,000 married men end their lives,” the activists point out.
As per the Bill’s statement of objectives, the Hindu Marriage Act and the Special Marriages Act have proved to be inadequate in dealing with cases where there has been an irretrievable breakdown of marriage and hence it was decided to amend the law. Even the Supreme Court had pointed out the need to introduce ‘irretrievable breakdown of marriage’ and ‘mutual consent’ as grounds for granting divorce in order to reduce litigation and to enable both parties move on in their life.
What Sibal failed to take into consideration was how such a law would reduce litigation when cases filed by women under the dowry and harassment laws and child custody are not decided at the time of issuing a divorce decree, the activists point out.
http://www.rediff.com/news/report/mens-rights-activists-hope-lok-sabha-wont-okay-husband-killer-law/20130827.htm?sc_cid=fbshare
Virag Dhulia, a leading men’s rights activist, told rediff.com that they were trying to establish communication with members of Parliament on the subject. “We are telling them about the problems this bill would cause as the male in general is the stakeholder in this draconian law. We are trying to tell them what changes ought to be made to this bill and how, if it gets presidential assent, it would become a disaster. We hope our lawmakers would take into consideration all this and not to pass bills merley keeping in mind vote bank politics.”
Among other things the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill empowers the courts to decide the compensation amount for the wife and children from the husband’s inherited and inheritable properties once the marriage ends legally. The Bill allows parties to file for divorce on the ground of “irretrievable breakdown” of marriage. Both parties have to live apart for at least three years before filing such a petition.
Dhulia points out, “Basically the hard-earned money and property of the man will not belong to him” once this Bill becomes law.
The Bill also provides for restricting the grant of a decree of divorce if the court is satisfied that adequate provision for maintenance of the children has not been made consistent with the financial capacity of the parties to the marriage.
Also, the wife has the right to oppose the grant of divorce on the ground that the dissolution of marriage could result in grave financial hardship, but no such provision has been made for the husband. “Law Minister Kapil Sibal has totally ignored the National Crime Records Bureau data which states that every year more than 65,000 married men end their lives,” the activists point out.
As per the Bill’s statement of objectives, the Hindu Marriage Act and the Special Marriages Act have proved to be inadequate in dealing with cases where there has been an irretrievable breakdown of marriage and hence it was decided to amend the law. Even the Supreme Court had pointed out the need to introduce ‘irretrievable breakdown of marriage’ and ‘mutual consent’ as grounds for granting divorce in order to reduce litigation and to enable both parties move on in their life.
What Sibal failed to take into consideration was how such a law would reduce litigation when cases filed by women under the dowry and harassment laws and child custody are not decided at the time of issuing a divorce decree, the activists point out.
http://www.rediff.com/news/report/mens-rights-activists-hope-lok-sabha-wont-okay-husband-killer-law/20130827.htm?sc_cid=fbshare
Laws turning anti-men: Ex-minister
Former minister B T Lalitha Naik said on Sunday that laws, of
late, had become radically biased towards women and that society at
large had demonised the role of men.
She was addressing a protest by the Karnataka Rajya Purushara Rakshana Samithi here.
“Under the present laws, men can become easy targets for women with bad intentions. A man can be arrested merely an the allegation of rape or dowry harassment by a woman,” Naik said.
“We demand that lawmakers introduce appropriate checks in the laws so that women lodging frivolous complaints are seriously dealt with,” Naik said.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/353265/laws-turning-anti-men-ex.html
She was addressing a protest by the Karnataka Rajya Purushara Rakshana Samithi here.
“Under the present laws, men can become easy targets for women with bad intentions. A man can be arrested merely an the allegation of rape or dowry harassment by a woman,” Naik said.
“We demand that lawmakers introduce appropriate checks in the laws so that women lodging frivolous complaints are seriously dealt with,” Naik said.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/353265/laws-turning-anti-men-ex.html
Friday, 9 August 2013
You are here - HomeNewsCity Story City Group decries ‘anti-men’ marriage bill
You are here - HomeNewsCity Story City Group decries ‘anti-men’ marriage bill
Citing that the provisions of the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010, are making marriage the ‘property transfer bureau’, members of the Men’s Rights Association (MRA), Pune, which functions as an all-India body, has given a clarion call against the Act.
They have now resolved to not vote for the members of Parliament (MPs) supporting the Bill in the country’s top legislative body for the next general election. The members held a meeting in the city on Thursday.
Looking at the issue as an opportunity to unite, the group has appealed to men to not invest in real estate after this bill is passed, since it has provisions to give
wife the half share of husband’s property, including property acquired before marriage and the property that a man inherits. They claimed marriages will be converted into ‘property transfer bureau’ after this Bill is passed.
The association has called it an anti-men, anti-husband and anti-marriage Bill, which is likely to be debated in the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament.
As part of their campaign against the Bill, the activists have till date met over 25 MPs belonging to various parties to make them aware about the issue.
Talking to Pune Mirror, Atit Rajpara, founder president of MRA-Pune, said, “Despite requests from the men’s groups across the country, the government failed to pay heed.
Not even a single suggestion given by us have been considered. We have done written several times to the MPs, but nothing has happened.”
http://www.punemirror.in/index.aspx?page=article§id=2&contentid=2013080920130809103836949de0a8c74&title=Group-decries-%E2%80%98antimen%E2%80%99-marriage-bill
Citing that the provisions of the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010, are making marriage the ‘property transfer bureau’, members of the Men’s Rights Association (MRA), Pune, which functions as an all-India body, has given a clarion call against the Act.
They have now resolved to not vote for the members of Parliament (MPs) supporting the Bill in the country’s top legislative body for the next general election. The members held a meeting in the city on Thursday.
Looking at the issue as an opportunity to unite, the group has appealed to men to not invest in real estate after this bill is passed, since it has provisions to give
wife the half share of husband’s property, including property acquired before marriage and the property that a man inherits. They claimed marriages will be converted into ‘property transfer bureau’ after this Bill is passed.
The association has called it an anti-men, anti-husband and anti-marriage Bill, which is likely to be debated in the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament.
As part of their campaign against the Bill, the activists have till date met over 25 MPs belonging to various parties to make them aware about the issue.
Talking to Pune Mirror, Atit Rajpara, founder president of MRA-Pune, said, “Despite requests from the men’s groups across the country, the government failed to pay heed.
Not even a single suggestion given by us have been considered. We have done written several times to the MPs, but nothing has happened.”
http://www.punemirror.in/index.aspx?page=article§id=2&contentid=2013080920130809103836949de0a8c74&title=Group-decries-%E2%80%98antimen%E2%80%99-marriage-bill
Monday, 5 August 2013
Youth jumps from 5th floor of court buildin
KANPUR: A youth jumped from the fifth floor of the multi-storey
building of Kanpur Nagar on Saturday. He was immediately rushed to the
UHM Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead. He was later identified
as Anuj Kumar Gupta.
A suicide note was recovered from the body, wherein Anuj had accused his wife and in-laws of harassment. In the suicide note, Anuj, who had a grocery shop at Canal Road, said that on June 16, his wife had shifted to her parents' house along with all valuables and cash worth Rs 1 lakh.
At that time, he was in his shop. After coming to know of the incident, he contacted his in-laws but was abused and threatened of dire consequences. The in-laws demanded that he provide a space in his shop for his brother-in-law to run a business.
Anuj further wrote that he had submitted a complaint with the police and a copy of it to the SSP. However, the police took no action. In the letter, Anuj also accused his father-in-law of physical exploitation.
On Saturday, Anuj had rushed to the court to meet his counsel after receiving a call.
However, after failing to locate the counsel, he climbed to the fifth floor and jumped from there. The police informed his elder brother Amit Gupta of the incident.
After reaching the court premises, Amit told police that Anuj was in his shop till 11 am. After receiving a call, he rushed to the Birhana Road. Amit also said that he repeatedly tried to contact Anuj but his mobile was switched off.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-08-04/kanpur/41057180_1_court-building-suicide-note-grocery-shop
A suicide note was recovered from the body, wherein Anuj had accused his wife and in-laws of harassment. In the suicide note, Anuj, who had a grocery shop at Canal Road, said that on June 16, his wife had shifted to her parents' house along with all valuables and cash worth Rs 1 lakh.
At that time, he was in his shop. After coming to know of the incident, he contacted his in-laws but was abused and threatened of dire consequences. The in-laws demanded that he provide a space in his shop for his brother-in-law to run a business.
Anuj further wrote that he had submitted a complaint with the police and a copy of it to the SSP. However, the police took no action. In the letter, Anuj also accused his father-in-law of physical exploitation.
On Saturday, Anuj had rushed to the court to meet his counsel after receiving a call.
However, after failing to locate the counsel, he climbed to the fifth floor and jumped from there. The police informed his elder brother Amit Gupta of the incident.
After reaching the court premises, Amit told police that Anuj was in his shop till 11 am. After receiving a call, he rushed to the Birhana Road. Amit also said that he repeatedly tried to contact Anuj but his mobile was switched off.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-08-04/kanpur/41057180_1_court-building-suicide-note-grocery-shop
Safe house for battered men
Safe house for battered men
India’s first domestic violence shelter for men opens its doors in Bangalore. Here’s one harassed husband’s story from inside the shelter. Francis Steven Dokka reports
For three months, a barely-furnished two-bedroom apartment on Bannerghatta Main Road was "heaven" for Prithvi (31). The apartment is a good advert for 'bare and minimum'--bean bags and plastic chairs in the living room; mats and bedsheets for bedding and a kitchen that has nothing more than essentials --a fridge, gas stove, some plates and glasses, and filtered water cans. The place is bereft of anything that usually makes a cold house a warm home. But for many harassed husbands this has been 'heaven' when their own homes turned hellish. Welcome to India's first domestic violence shelter for men.
India’s first domestic violence shelter for men opens its doors in Bangalore. Here’s one harassed husband’s story from inside the shelter. Francis Steven Dokka reports
For three months, a barely-furnished two-bedroom apartment on Bannerghatta Main Road was "heaven" for Prithvi (31). The apartment is a good advert for 'bare and minimum'--bean bags and plastic chairs in the living room; mats and bedsheets for bedding and a kitchen that has nothing more than essentials --a fridge, gas stove, some plates and glasses, and filtered water cans. The place is bereft of anything that usually makes a cold house a warm home. But for many harassed husbands this has been 'heaven' when their own homes turned hellish. Welcome to India's first domestic violence shelter for men.
The shelter was started on April 19 this year by Confidare
Consultancy, a Bangalore-based men’s rights organisation founded by
techies Anil Kumar, Virag Dhulia, Pandurang Katti and Mithun Kumar.
These names are well-known in India’s men’s rights movement. They have
made representations before the Indian Parliament and the US Senate. The
safe haven for men operates out of an apartment owned by one of the
founders and is an offshoot of the Men's Rights Community Center run by
Confidare in Koramangala. Anil says, “Actually, the defining moment to
start the shelter came many years ago when we started helplines for men
facing domestic violence. The domestic violence shelter was just a
logical extension of the helplines. Abused men are often coached by us
to leave the abusive spaces (their homes) and go to paying guest or
shared accommodations. Sometimes, we temporarily accommodate these
abused men in our own houses for a few days. Declaring a complete house
as a domestic violence shelter became the next logical step. It is not
natural for men to run away from homes if they face abuse, because
somehow society considers it unmanly, if a man runs away. Please note,
we do not advise men to file for divorce. We suggest that they move to
some other location to get some peace and recover.”
How Prithvi landed in the shelter is part of a bigger marital story
— similar to ones being played out across India. Prithvi, a native of
Hyderabad, was working at an IT firm in Bangalore, when he married a
BTech graduate from West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh four years
ago. Soon, their marriage hit rough weather. Prithvi says, “My wife was
treating me like an ATM. She began to frequently make outrageous demands
that I buy her jewellery, take her to restaurants and movies. She
didn’t understand that a family cannot afford to splurge all the time.
When I didn’t meet her demands, she began complaining to her parents.”
“Before we tied the knot, she promised to work after marriage to
meet family expenses as Bangalore is a costly city. But after marriage,
she did a U-turn. She refused to work. She began to taunt me with 'Can’t
you feed your wife? Do you want your wife to earn and feed you?'
queries. She wanted to stay at home and enjoy life. Another major
disagreement was having kids. I wanted to have children but she wanted
to wait.”
Last October, their marital problems reached boiling point. “Our
arguments aggravated. She left me and went to her parents. I requested
her to return many times but she declined. Finally, I went to her
parents’ house to ask her to come home. She told me she would return
only if I signed half of my property in her name or give her Rs 15 lakh
as financial guarantee. I flatly rejected her conditions. She hit back
by filing a criminal case against me under the Domestic Violence Act
alleging that I had harassed her for dowry. In addition, she filed a
case seeking maintenance from me. Both the cases were filed in AP just
to harass me. She then mailed FIR copies to my employer and even sent a
telegram to my work place to portray me as a criminal. Thanks to her, I
lost my job. With cops chasing me and unemployed, I became depressed. I
even thought of suicide. That’s when I got in touch with Confidare
Consultancy and became its member.”
Prithvi landed at the shelter in April with two bags of clothes,
some books, and almost broke. “I was once making Rs 50,000 a month and
lived in a good house in Indiranagar paying Rs 12,000 as rent. Now, I
couldn’t afford to rent a place. I needed a place my wife could not
trace because I had to protect myself. I was fortunate to find this
sanctuary. Considering my financial condition, Confidare even waived the
fee.” Confidare charges a person Rs 150 per day to stay at the shelter.
Inmates must make their own arrangements for food. No deposit is taken.
Pandurang Katti, care-taker of the shelter, says, “This facility
operates on trust. Those wanting to stay here must be members for at
least six months and should gain our trust.” Pandurang emphasises it is
not a “paying guest” facility.
At Confidare, Prithvi was given legal advice, apprised of his
rights as a man and coached how to defend himself in court. “I also
received moral support there,” says Prithvi. The safe house can shelter
four men at any given time. Katti says: “As of now, we are not equipped
enough if men flood the place. That’s why we don’t want to publicise its
address.We do not have the bandwidth to run it on a 24/7 basis.”
How does Confidare ensure that it doesn’t end up accommodating at
the shelter men who have committed crimes against women? Virag says, “We
don’t judge anyone. The courts are there to judge who is innocent or
guilty. We only support to those who approach us. Generally, men who
have committed crimes do not approach us. Such people need not approach
us.The center’s aim is to help provide men temporary stay so that they
can stabilise themselves.”
At the shelter, Prithvi slowly began to pick up the pieces of his
broken life. “When I came to the safe house, I was vulnerable and on the
verge of losing my mind. However, at the shelter I got back peace of
mind. I began to think of my future course of action and started looking
for a job.”
At the shelter Prithvi would wake up at 7 am, sweep the apartment
and make breakfast. At 10 am, he would study law books for a couple of
hours. He would then head out for lunch. Post lunch, he would either
take a nap or go to an internet centre to apply for jobs. Evening, would
again be study time followed by dinner and sleep. He quips, “It was
good to get some sleep after many sleepless nights.”
The routine changed when new inmates arrived. He would interact
with them a lot and listen to their stories. “It helped to meet other
men like me there. Some of their stories were way worse than mine.”
During weekends, he used to volunteer at Confidare’s community centre in
Koramangala and counsel other men.
The stay at the shelter was also a humbling experience for Prithvi.
“I once lived very well. Here I was having lunch and dinner at roadside
eateries. I was living on money given by my retired parents, relatives
and friends.”
Anil says, “So far, six guys have stayed in the shelter, while
about 30 approached us to use the facility.” Anil is already thinking of
what will follow the shelter. “As it is certain that a lot of men may
not marry due to ever increasing complicated laws of marriage and the
high costs involved, the next logical step is to create hostels and old
age assisted-living facilities for such men, which can provide them some
security at old age. All this is part of a budding global men's
movement called MGTOW (Men Going Their Own Way), where men may not
really seek committed female companionship or even children, but rather
prefer a peaceful or even monk like existence enriching their lives.”
Meanwhile, Prithvi’s job hunt has paid off. He moved out of the
shelter last week after he was hired by an IT firm in a city in South
India. He does not see any chance of reconciliation with his wife. He
wants to fight out all the cases filed by his wife. He says, “My
priority is to live peacefully and contribute something to society.”
That’s a big change in a man who entered the domestic violence shelter
three months ago contemplating suicide.
Community of confidants
Confidare Consultancy offers help for husbands physically or verbally abused, or facing threats from their wives or in-laws. Its clientele includes men facing police complaints and court cases related to marital issues. It offers members coaching and education to be peaceful and fight court cases effectively. Men seeking help from Confidare are required to become members by paying a fee – Rs 2,500 for six months and Rs 4,500 for one year. Membership is also open to NRIs. Confidare also runs a Men’s Rights Community Center in Koramangala. The center offers members access to basic law books, legal citations, reference material, and videos related to laws and men’s rights.Anil says, “Our support group meetings are like Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, where men feel peaceful and free in spite of abuse and threats they face.” At one point of time, a majority of Confidare’s members were techies. Virag says, “Now, we have members from all strata of the society because men are being abused irrespective of their position in society. We have members who are auto drivers and bank attenders.“Helpline: 9008302822
Community of confidants
Confidare Consultancy offers help for husbands physically or verbally abused, or facing threats from their wives or in-laws. Its clientele includes men facing police complaints and court cases related to marital issues. It offers members coaching and education to be peaceful and fight court cases effectively. Men seeking help from Confidare are required to become members by paying a fee – Rs 2,500 for six months and Rs 4,500 for one year. Membership is also open to NRIs. Confidare also runs a Men’s Rights Community Center in Koramangala. The center offers members access to basic law books, legal citations, reference material, and videos related to laws and men’s rights.Anil says, “Our support group meetings are like Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, where men feel peaceful and free in spite of abuse and threats they face.” At one point of time, a majority of Confidare’s members were techies. Virag says, “Now, we have members from all strata of the society because men are being abused irrespective of their position in society. We have members who are auto drivers and bank attenders.“Helpline: 9008302822
Friday, 2 August 2013
Friday, 19 July 2013
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