‘Step to protect men from wives’ fake complaints not enough’

Centre's directive to states say no arrests be made without proper investigation

Taking cognisance of the increasing number of false complaints being filed under section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Central Government recently issued directives to the state governments not to make any immediate arrests but conduct thorough investigations before taking any action. However, family court lawyers and activists feel that unless women are punished for lodging false complaints, this directive would not help.

"Though the directive is welcome, unless the women are punished by law for filing false cases under Section 498A, its misuse cannot be stopped," said Mahesh Kalge, a representative of Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF), who runs a helpline for men in distress caused by domestic disputes.

Mahesh (name changed), an IT professional from Chinchwad, had to spent a week in the lock-up after his wife filed a harassment complaint with the police.

"In most cases, the investigating officer immediately arrests the husband, mother-in-law and sister-in-law, as per the statement given by the wife. However, when the allegations prove false, the investigating officer is never held at fault. It is time the judiciary take this into account," said Mahesh.

"This directive, if implemented strictly, will surely put a tab on the misuse of this section. Of the total cases filed under this section in one year, 85 per cent turn out to be bogus," said advocate Shailaja Kelkar, matrimonial counselor who practiced in the family court for 20 years. There should be a provision in the law where husbands can sue their wives for making false allegations. Women take to filing such false complaints with an eye on compensation or husband's property, Kelkar observed.

In a letter to state chief secretaries, the Ministry of Home Affairs has asked the state governments to issue directives to the police not to arrest the husband and his relatives without checking the genuineness of the anti-dowry complaint.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/-step-to-protect-men-from-wives--fake-complaints-not-enough-/542632/

Centre's directive to states say no arrests be made without proper investigation
Taking cognisance of the increasing number of false complaints being filed under section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Central Government recently issued directives to the state governments not to make any immediate arrests but conduct thorough investigations before taking any action. However, family court lawyers and activists feel that unless women are punished for lodging false complaints, this directive would not help.
"Though the directive is welcome, unless the women are punished by law for filing false cases under Section 498A, its misuse cannot be stopped," said Mahesh Kalge, a representative of Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF), who runs a helpline for men in distress caused by domestic disputes.
Mahesh (name changed), an IT professional from Chinchwad, had to spent a week in the lock-up after his wife filed a harassment complaint with the police.
"In most cases, the investigating officer immediately arrests the husband, mother-in-law and sister-in-law, as per the statement given by the wife. However, when the allegations prove false, the investigating officer is never held at fault. It is time the judiciary take this into account," said Mahesh.
"This directive, if implemented strictly, will surely put a tab on the misuse of this section. Of the total cases filed under this section in one year, 85 per cent turn out to be bogus," said advocate Shailaja Kelkar, matrimonial counselor who practiced in the family court for 20 years. There should be a provision in the law where husbands can sue their wives for making false allegations. Women take to filing such false complaints with an eye on compensation or husband's property, Kelkar observed.
In a letter to state chief secretaries, the Ministry of Home Affairs has asked the state governments to issue directives to the police not to arrest the husband and his relatives without checking the genuineness of the anti-dowry complaint.
- See more at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/-step-to-protect-men-from-wives--fake-complaints-not-enough-/542632/#sthash.P8aotY7I.dpuf

Centre's directive to states say no arrests be made without proper investigation
Taking cognisance of the increasing number of false complaints being filed under section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Central Government recently issued directives to the state governments not to make any immediate arrests but conduct thorough investigations before taking any action. However, family court lawyers and activists feel that unless women are punished for lodging false complaints, this directive would not help.
"Though the directive is welcome, unless the women are punished by law for filing false cases under Section 498A, its misuse cannot be stopped," said Mahesh Kalge, a representative of Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF), who runs a helpline for men in distress caused by domestic disputes.
Mahesh (name changed), an IT professional from Chinchwad, had to spent a week in the lock-up after his wife filed a harassment complaint with the police.
"In most cases, the investigating officer immediately arrests the husband, mother-in-law and sister-in-law, as per the statement given by the wife. However, when the allegations prove false, the investigating officer is never held at fault. It is time the judiciary take this into account," said Mahesh.
"This directive, if implemented strictly, will surely put a tab on the misuse of this section. Of the total cases filed under this section in one year, 85 per cent turn out to be bogus," said advocate Shailaja Kelkar, matrimonial counselor who practiced in the family court for 20 years. There should be a provision in the law where husbands can sue their wives for making false allegations. Women take to filing such false complaints with an eye on compensation or husband's property, Kelkar observed.
In a letter to state chief secretaries, the Ministry of Home Affairs has asked the state governments to issue directives to the police not to arrest the husband and his relatives without checking the genuineness of the anti-dowry complaint.
- See more at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/-step-to-protect-men-from-wives--fake-complaints-not-enough-/542632/#sthash.P8aotY7I.dpuf

 

Man kills wife’s lover in Chennai

CHENNAI: A 33-year-old painter killed his wife's lover when he found them sleeping together in his house at Maduravoyal here in the wee hours of Sunday.
M Sakthivel, a resident of Rajiv Gandhi Nagar in Alapakkam, left home at 8pm on Saturday after an altercation with his wife, Bhuvaneshwari. He returned home at 12.30am on Sunday and knocked on the door. When the door was not opened, he got suspicious and barged into the house and found Bhuvaneshwari sleeping with his neighbour, Satish.

An angry Sakthivel attacked Satish with a knife and killed him in front of Bhuvaneshwari. Sakthivel's three children were sleeping in the adjacent room when the murder happened.
After the murder, Sakthivel went to the Maduravoyal police station and informed the police about it. They arrested and produced him before a magistrate court in the city on Sunday. The court remanded him in judicial custody.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that Bhuvaneshwari had eloped with Satish a year ago. Based on Sakthivel's complaint, the police then registered a woman missing case and traced her. The police reportedly warned her and asked her to stay with her husband. However, she allegedly continued to meet Satish.
Sakthivel married Bhuvaneshwari 10 years ago.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-09-08/chennai/41873073_1_satish-bhuvaneshwari-wife-s-lover 

Hyderabadi girls keeping their boyfriends in dark

While their parents are in the know, an increasing number of city girls are keeping their boyfriends in the dark about going clubbing with friends.

Remember the time when you'd lie at home to go partying and then sneak back into your room, while everyone at home was busy snoring? And while at the party, you'd request the present photographers not to take your pictures because, "Mummy ko nahi pata". Well, if you are smiling while reading this and getting nostalgic, chances are, you haven't been to the party scene of late. These days, apne Hyderabadi girls are bindaas when it comes to letting their hair down, and are also keeping their parents in the loop. But wait! There is still one person who is kept in the dark about our party ladies' clubbing rendezvous — the boyfriend! With boyfriends and partners turning extra possessive and sometimes, even borderline creepy, the pretty ladies have begun to decline the Page 3 shutterbugs, for fear of being 'caught' by their paramours.

And the trademark statement doing the rounds in city nightclubs these days is, "Please don't click my pictures. My boyfriend doesn't know I'm clubbing. Pleaseeee!" From smartly doling out bahanas to their chipkoo boyfriends and giving cute chakmas, which they claim is completely unintentional, PYTs reveal why they aren't camera friendly anymore.

Because BFs are super possessive

A lot of young women in the city claim that their boyfriends have become over-possessive. From not wanting them to wear sexy outfits, to restricting their access to the dance floor, the men lay down way too many rules when it comes to a night out. And in a bid to break free from such restrictions, the ladies resort to lying! "My boyfriend is extremely possessive. So one night, I lied to him about being at a gal pal's house for a pyjama party, while in fact, I was out clubbing," admits Tania, a corporate employee. But the 'secret night out' did not end up being fun, because, "I was so busy enjoying myself at the club that I posed for one of the shutterbug. A day later, my pictures were splashed across two dailies, and my boyfriend got to know the truth. I missed 58 of his calls, as I was busy thinking of an excuse. As expected, there was a huge fight and I eventually ended up having a hard time convincing him to forgive me. I learnt a big lesson that day and ever since, every time I go partying, I refuse to get clicked," says Tania.

Coz' BFs are way too filmi

Blame it on growing up on a steady dose of Bollywood films, but our PYTs say that their boyfriends have turned into sappy, cheesy 'Rahuls and Rajs of Bollywood'. "I'm just 20-years-old and I think at this age, it's fine to go out and have some fun. But my boyfriend rants on about saat janmo ka saath, pavitra rishta and stuff like that! He expects me to not go clubbing with friends and instead, stay at home. This is way too filmi for a 20-year-old! That's why I lie when I go out with my friends," explains Lipi Suresh*, a pharmaceutical student.

Coz' BFs dole out too much gyan

When you have Mummy and Daddy giving you gyan every morning or evening, you definitely don't need the same from your boyfriends. So, it's a complete turn off when boyfriends, over a period of time, turn into your parents! Rebaica Safiya, a student, says, "I know a few over-protective boyfriends. So, I won't be surprised if their girls lie to them and go clubbing. We usually tell our parents everything because right now, with the whole scenario of us not being safe, they need to know where we are. But if we tell our boyfriends, they begin a proper interrogation and hit us with a barrage of questions like, 'Where are you going? Who are you going with? Who are the guys going with you?' and so on — it's like they've turned into our parents! In fact, parents are a lot cooler than boyfriends these days."

Coz' BFs want 'good girls'

Now, how many times have you heard the sentence, 'achchi ladkiyan clubs nahi jaati', from the nosy neighbourhood aunty? Most city guys, claim young girls, want their girlfriends to not go clubbing in case their 'image' takes a beating. "My ex-boyfriend had this mindset that girls who like partying are not worth taking home to mom! How sexist and patriarchal is that?" asks Neha Kumar*, a final year Psychology student. "If I party and you term me as a 'bad girl', you don't deserve to be my boyfriend. But many girls stick to such men and then lie to them before going clubbing. But since everyone knows everyone in the Hyderabad party circuit, your secret will be out soon," reveals Neha.

COZ' girls just wanna have fun

The concept of guys spending a fun night out in town with their buddies is acceptable to most city boys. But when it comes to their girlfriends spending time with their friends, alarm bells begin to ring. "Guys don't understand that just like them, we too need some well-deserved 'me' time. When it's just our girls' night out at the club, we can dance, have fun and casually flirt with cute guys. But with our boyfriends constantly keeping a hawk-eye watch on us, we can't do all of that!" says Malliha Fatima, an undergraduate student. Marika Gabriel, student, echoes a similar sentiment, saying, "Guys have now become 'possessive girlfriends'. With the possessiveness and the continuous calling and finding out where we are and what we are doing, they don't understand that we need space too." http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/relationships/man-woman/Hyderabadi-girls-keeping-their-boyfriends-in-dark/articleshow/22070285.cms?intenttarget=no 

Bombay high court questions early release of women jailed for murder

Bombay high court questions early release of women jailed for murder

MUMBAI: Can a person sentenced to life imprisonment for murder face less punishment just because she is a woman? The Bombay high court on Tuesday questioned the gender discrimination in the state government's new prison rules.

"This is a dangerous trend," a division bench of Justice S C Dharmadhikari and Justice Gautam Patel said. "Reservations [for women] can be understood, but showing leniency in punishment on the basis of gender cannot be accepted."

The court asked advocate general Darius Khambata to assist the court on the matter when it hears the case on September 19. The court was hearing a plea for early release from prison by a woman convicted of murdering her husband on the basis of the rules introduced by the government in 2010.

While a woman murder convict sent to prison for life faces minimum imprisonment of between 18 years and 20 years in jail with remissions, men face 20 years to 30 years, depending on the gravity of the crime. Remissions are extra days credited for each day spent in jail.

"Prima facie, we do not see any positive discrimination [in the rules to benefit female convicts] which either improves the dignity or status of women in society," the judges said.

The court pointed out that they had observed many reports in newspapers about women committing serious crimes, including being involved in sexual assault cases. "While the new rules introduce stringent punishment for crimes against women, in the same breath someone who has wronged another woman can get off lightly because of her gender," the judges said.

The court questioned the state on the justification for such a classification on the basis of gender.

"A case-to-case-basis decision on the prison term can be taken by going into the circumstances, but a classification solely on the basis of gender is a dangerous trend," the court said. "The rules do not meet the purpose that they will not be encouraged to commit crimes. Instead, it gives a licence to women that because of their DNA they can get off easily even if they commit a serious crime."

In 2010, the state government had introduced changes to the guidelines for premature release of prisoners under the 14-year rule. According to law, a punishment of life imprisonment awarded to an accused means jail till death. Yet, depending on the severity of the crime, the rules allow a person to be released early from prison once he completes 14 years of actual imprisonment.

The new rules created a new category for women convicts. Those who had committed murder were eligible for release from jail once they had served 18 years, including remissions. If the murder was premeditated, they could be released after 20 years with remissions. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Bombay-high-court-questions-early-release-of-women-jailed-for-murder/articleshow/22304543.cms 

22 year old married thrice...

Doctor sucides...

False rape charge lands woman in prison for 4 years

A woman has been sentenced to four years in jail for levelling false allegations of rape against a man, who later committed suicide as he could not bear the stigma of spending 72 days in jail for a crime he did not commit.
Last December when the country was witnessing unprecedented protests against Delhi gangrape incident, 35-year-old Chanchal Rathore had accused her 53-year-old landlord, Roopkishore Agrawal, of raping her. However, during the trial, Chanchal admitted that she was not raped.
According to her, she had a quarrel with Agrawal when he had come to collect rent and the money her husband had taken as loan from him. Additional Sessions Judge Savita Dubey, who was hearing the rape case, later ordered that Chanchal be tried for giving a false statement.
The judge even appeared as a witness in the court of Additional Sessions Judge Indira Singh, who sentenced Chanchal to four years in jail under Section 211b of the IPC (making false charge of offence with an intent to injure). She has also been slapped a fine of Rs 10,000, non-payment of which will fetch another six months jail term for her.
Chanchal, who claimed to work for an NGO, was also sentenced to six months in jail under Section 182 (giving false information with an intent to cause public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person). Both sentences will run concurrently.
Chanchal is also being separately tried for abetment to suicide, punishable with a seven-year jail term.
Chanchal's husband Sunil, who took the money from the landlord to buy a Tata Magic vehicle, is also an accused in this case, said Additional Public Prosecutor Hemant Mungi.
Agrawal was found dead in his home on March 17, nine days after he was released on bail. In his suicide note, he had blamed Chanchal for his ordeal and his decision to take kill himself.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/false-rape-charge-lands-woman-in-prison-for-4-years/1163643/

Stop legal terrorism to save Indian families!

See the last article on this page...
http://northernindiapatrika.in/epaper/archieve/page7.php?id=2013-08-30

Man attempts suicide inside police station as police ignore complaint

Man attempts suicide inside police station as police ignore complaint

A 60-year-old man, tortured by his daughter-in-law, attempted suicide inside a police station in Delhi on Thursday when policemen cold-shouldered his complaint.
Rajbeer Singh consumed a poisonous substance inside west Delhi's Kanjhawala police station premises after police personnel did not pay heed to his complaint against his daughter-in-law.
Singh was rushed to a hospital where his condition was stated to be out of danger.
A police officer said Rajbeer had approached the police station a day ago and informed that his daughter-in-law had thrown him out of his house after usurping his property.
However, the policemen sent him home, telling him to come if his daughter-in-law did not mend her ways.
According to sources, Rajbeer arrived at the police station today (Thursday) but, once again, the policemen turned a deaf ear to his pleas. Frustrated, he then consumed the poisonous substance.

http://m.ibnlive.com/news/man-attempts-suicide-inside-police-station-as-police-ignore-complaint/418299-3-244.html 

Government encouraging Male employees to have girl friend

आता शासकीय अधिकाऱ्यांच्या विवाहबाह्य प्रेयसींनाही पेन्शन

आता शासकीय अधिकाऱ्याच्या मृत्यूपश्चात त्याच्या पत्नीसोबत त्याच्या प्रेमिकेलाही पेन्शन मिळणार आहे. अधिकाऱ्याच्या मृत्यूनंतर प्रेमिकेने हक्क सांगितला तर तिला पेन्शन देण्याचा निर्णय घेण्यात आला आहे.

याशिवाय शासकीय अधिकाऱ्याच्या घटस्फोटित पत्नीला आणि तिच्या मुलांनाही पेन्शनमध्ये वाटा मिळणार आहे. आयएएस, आयपीएस, फॉरेस्ट सर्व्हिसमधील अधिकाऱ्यांना अशा पद्धतीचं पेन्शन सुरू होणार आहे. केंद्र सरकारच्या नव्या नियमानुसार अधिकाऱ्याचे अनैतिक संबंध असलेल्या प्रेयसीलाही पेन्शन मिळेल. नव्या नियमानुसार 'ऑल इंडिया सर्व्हिस'च्या अधिकाऱ्यांना २० टक्के अतिरिक्त पेन्शन मिळणार आहे. वयाची ८५ वर्षं पूर्ण करणाऱ्या अधिकाऱ्यांना ३० %, ९० वर्षं पूर्ण करणाऱ्यांना ४०%, ९५ वर्षं पूर्ण करणाऱ्यांना ५०% आणि १०० वर्षं पूर्ण करणाऱ्यांना १००% पेन्शन मिळेल.

पती आणि पत्नी दोघंही शासकीय सेवेत असल्यास निवृत्त सेवेनंतर किंवा मृत्यूनंतर मिळणारी पेन्शन ही दुसऱ्या एकाच्या नावे होईल. तसंच पती आणि पत्नी या दोघांचाही मृत्यू झाल्यास त्यांचे मुले पेन्शनसाठी पात्र ठरतील असे, या नियमात सांगण्यात आले आहे.

http://zeenews.india.com/marathi/news/india/new-laws-of-pension-for-ais-officers/162668 

Bill weathers‘anti-men’ cry

SOBHANA K.

New Delhi, Aug. 26: The Rajya Sabha today passed amendments to the divorce law but not before several male members dubbed them anti-men and an assault on “human rights”.

The Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, passed by the Lok Sabha in the last session, promises women a larger share of their husband’s property during divorce. (See chart)

Trinamul Congress member Derek O’Brien led the charge, asking: “Why empower women at the expense of men?”

He argued the bill should be made gender-neutral, giving men the same rights as women. Replace the words “wife” and “husband” in the bill with “spouse”, O’Brien said.

Samajwadi Party member Arvind Kumar Singh claimed the bill could be misused like the anti-dowry law.

“If you read this bill, it seems that husbands alone are responsible for divorce. This law is being made to enslave men. One party should not get disproportionately high benefits while the other stands to lose all,” Singh said.

While many women MPs protested against this logic, Vandana Chavan of the Nationalist Congress Party stood on the men’s side.

“There are many women who may be earning the same as their husbands or sometimes even more. We have to fight not just for women’s rights but for human rights. Why make the current generation of men suffer?” Chavan said.

Many members wanted know how unemployed husbands fared in the bill.

“If the husband has no property, does he have a right over the (wife’s) property in case of a divorce?” asked Bahujan Samaj Party member Narender Kumar Kashyap.

Bharat Kumar Raut of the Shiv Sena said the bill would bring family pressure on women not to get a divorce. “Families will think that despite couples having differences, it would be better to stay together to avoid a division of the property,” Raut said.

DMK member Kanimozhi defended the bill stoutly.

“That women will misuse the bill and use it (to seek) revenge against their husbands and mothers-in-law seems to be the dominant thought here. When we have 50 per cent women in this House, we will talk about making such bills gender-neutral,” she said.

BJP members, however, ignored the issue as they pressed their long-standing demand for a uniform civil code. Party member Najma Heputallah accused the government of ignoring the plight of the country’s Muslim women.

Law minister Kapil Sibal said the bill was obviously pro-women and would send a clear message that Parliament was on the women’s side.

“Women’s rights have to be protected. We are in a patriarchal society. Around the world, while women constitute 50 per cent of the population, they own only 2 per cent of global assets,” Sibal said.

Addressing members’ concern about unemployed husbands, Sibal said men were entitled to alimony “under Section 25 of the Hindu Marriage Act”. The bill was cleared as presented by the government.

The Rajya Sabha later discussed the Mumbai gang rape, with junior home minister R.P.N. Singh making a statement.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130827/jsp/nation/story_17277726.jsp#.Uh4seD8vfQ0 

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

HC notice on Pascal’s plea for visitation rights to his mother to see his children

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday ordered issue of notice to Suja Jones Mazurier on a petition filed by her husband Pascal Mazurier, Consular Attaché to the Consulate General of France, Bangalore, and accused in a case of raping his minor daughter.

Justice A.S. Bopanna passed the order on Mr. Pascal’s petition, in which he has challenged the Family Court’s order refusing to allow his mother, who had come from France, to periodically meet his three children, who are in the custody of his wife.

IN the petition he also said his wife had violated an order of the Family Court to bring the children to the Bangalore Mediation Centre between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on July 24 to for meeting his mother, and children’s grandmother, Jacqueline Maillé. The Family Court had only twice permitted Jacqueline Maillé to meet the children since February 2013 and that too only for an hour on each occasion.

“The Family Court ought to have permitted the petitioner’s [Pascal’s] mother to have constant periodical contact with her grandchildren so that some member of the petitioner’s family can be in touch with the children,” it has been contended in the petition.

In matters relating to the guardianship and custody of minor children, especially of those children who have multi-cultural and multi-national identities, the Family Court ought to bear in mind the various provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) which came into force in September 1990 and to which India is a signatory, the petitioner claimed.

The petition further stated: “The children are completely cut off from their paternal relations and this is not in the interest of their emotional and psychological welfare and wellbeing as the petitioner was always close to the children during the time he lived in the marital home…” It has been alleged in the petition that his wife was depriving the children of contact with his family members.

Mr.Mazurier was arrested in June 2012 on the complaint filed by his wife, and the High Court in October 2012 had granted him bail while observing that “the materials on record, including the DNA report, and the statements of witnesses at this stage are in favour of the accused [Pascal]”. 

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/hc-notice-on-pascals-plea-for-visitation-rights-to-his-mother-to-see-his-children/article5019767.ece?homepage=true 

पुरुषहो, तुमच्यासाठी...

म. टा. प्रतिनिधी, नागपूर

पुरुष म्हणजे कुटुंबाची भिंत... त्याच्याशिवाय चांगल्या समाजाची कल्पनाच करवत नाही. असा हा पुरुष आज अडचणीत आहे. काही मोजक्या पुरुषांच्या एखाद्या कृत्याचे खापर अख्ख्या पुरुषजातीवर फोडले जाते. खरेतर, त्याच्यावरच अनेकदा अन्याय होतो. खोट्या गुन्ह्यांमध्ये तोच टार्गेट होतो. त्याचे ना कुणी ऐकत ना त्याच्या मदतीला जात. पुरुषांच्या याच अंतरंगाचा वेध घेण्यासाठी पहिल्यांदाच सेव्ह इंडियन फॅमिली फाउंडेशनतर्फे (सिफ) नागपूर विभागात पुरुष परिषद घेण्यात आली. पुरुषांच्या विविध समस्यांचा उहापोह येथे झाला. फाउंडेशनतर्फे पेंच येथे हे ५ वे पुरुष हक्क राष्ट्रीय अधिवेशन झाले. संपूर्ण भारतामधून ४० हजार कार्यकर्त्यांचे प्रतिनिधित्व करणारे शेकडो मेन्स राइट्स कार्यकर्ते या अधिवेशनासाठी जमले होते.

...तर स्वातंत्र्यदिन मानणार नाही

सरकारकडून पुरुषाला हीन वागणूक मिळते. त्याच्या भावना कधीच जाणून घेतल्या जात नाहीत. केवळ महिलांच्याच वाट्याला सहानुभूती येते. सरकार, न्यायालय केवळ महिलांचीच बाजू ऐकते. पुरुषाला तर बोलण्याचा अधिकारच नाही. चहूबाजूंनी पुरुषांची मुस्कटदाबी होते. अनेकदा महिलांकडून त्यांच्या बाजूने असलेल्या कायद्यांचा गैरवापर केला जातो. केवळ वचपा म्हणून तर कधी काही स्वार्थ साधण्यासाठी पुरुषांवर खोटे गुन्हे दाखल करण्यात येतात. मग पुरुष स्वतंत्र कसा, असा सवाल अधिवेशनात उपस्थित करण्यात आला. सरकारने पुरुषांच्या बाजूने विचार न केल्यास स्वातंत्र्यदिन साजरा का करायचा, असा सवालही उपस्थित करण्यात आला.

संशोधनाची गरज

सध्या पुरुषांसाठी भारतामध्ये पुरुष हक्क, पुरुषांच्या मानसिक व शारीरिक समस्या या विषयावर कुठेही कसलाही संशोधन किंवा शैक्षणिक आभ्यासक्रम अस्तित्वात नाही. असशा संशोधन किंवा शैक्षणिक अभ्यासक्रमाची नितांत गरज असल्याचे मत ' सिफ ' ने अधिवेशनात मांडले. अशा अभ्यासक्रमामुळे पुरुषत्वाची जाणीव लोकांपर्यंत पोहाचेल ज्यामुळे समाजात पुरुषांला चांगले जीवन जगता येईल, व चांगला समाज घडेल, असे मत व्यक्त करण्यात आले.

हाच खरा भेदाभेद

समाजातील गुन्हे आणि समस्यांसाठी केवळ पुरुषांनाच जबाबदार व गृहित धरण्यात येते. अनेक घटनांत तर महिलांनी पुरुषांपेक्षा कितीतरी गंभीर गुन्हे केले आहेत. ते कधीच प्रकाशात येत नाहीत. इथे मग ' समानता ' कुठे गेली? जर समाज पुरुषाला मानसन्मान देऊ शकत नसेल, तर त्या समाजाने पुरुषांकडून कुठलीच अपेक्षा करून नये. त्याला शिक्षा करण्याचा किंवा त्याला दोष देण्याचाही अधिकार नाही, असे स्पष्ट मत ' सिफ ' चे मध्य भारत अध्यक्ष राजेश वखारिया व अन्य मान्यवरांनी व्यक्त केले. अधिवेशनादरम्यान ३० सत्रांत पुरुषांच्या विविध समस्यांवर विचारमंथन झाले.

असे हे ठराव

- पुरुषाला शांततामय जीवन जगण्याचा अधिकार आहे.
- पुरुषाला कायदेशीर रूपात निःपक्ष व समान अधिकार मिळावेत, जे लिंगभेदरहित असावेत.
- प्रोस्टेट कॅन्सर, पार्किन्सन्स, हृदयविकार आदी आजारांपासून त्यांना रोखण्याकरिता पुरेशी आर्थिक गुंतवणूक करण्याची गरज आहे.
- पुरुषांबद्दलचे पूर्वग्रह दूर व्हावेत. त्यासाठी पुरुष कल्याण मंत्रालयाची स्थापना करण्यात यावी.
- फादर्स राइट्सचे रक्षण करून शेअर पॅरेंटिंगला मान्यता देण्यात यावी.
- संसदेसमोर येऊ घातलेला हिंदू विवाह संशोधन कायदा संमत न करता खारिज करावा. 

http://maharashtratimes.indiatimes.com/maharashtra/nagpur-vidarbha/--/articleshow/21958614.cms 

worried about law misuse

Activists make a case of 'Musculism'

'Society and laws need to be men-friendly too'

While all of us were celebrating Independence Day, a few men from all over the country assembled in the city to discuss some pressing issues. They were members of various men's rights organizations who had come to attend a national conference under the aegis of Men's Rights Association (MRA), a first-of-its-kind event. Two of the pioneers of the movement in India, IT professional and one of the founders of Save Indian Family Foundation, Pandurang Katti and, businessman and president of Children's Rights Initiative for Shared Parenting (CRISP), Kumar Jahgirdar spoke to TOI about the emergence of men's rights movement, the need for more gender-neutral marital laws and masculinity among other things.

Excerpts from an interview ---

What prompted you to consider being part of the men's rights movement?

PK. Small things like different tax slabs for same salary levels and reserved seats in public transport seemed unfair to me. Then came article 498A which I read was being misused in many cases. Then it hit closer home when I was acquitted under the same law in 2004. It was my wife's word against my evidence and our genders dictated the assumption of who was wrong.

What do you think of society's definitions of roles of men and women?

KJ. Sadly, the age-old mindset of men being providers and women being homemakers still prevails. Despite all talks about equality, society does not treat men and women equally. This extends to marriages as well, without realizing that marriages are not for competing but for complementing each other.

PK. Men are looked upon as monsters until they prove otherwise. There are several wrongful expectations from men which are seen in many aspects of life a" work, marriage and even in relations before marriage. The blame for any woman's committing suicide is invariably pegged on a man close to her, like it happened in the Suraj Panscholi case. There are cases like that Kausar Begum of Bangalore who married 12 times, earning lots of money by getting all the husbands arrested under domestic violence act.

How do you perceive women's rights movement?

KJ. It has become fashionable to talk about women empowerment and women's liberation in the name of chivalry. While doing so, human rights are sometimes kept on stake. Women have suffered a lot, for centuries. But thatas no excuse to make the current generation of men suffer, too. We must have a more human approach to things rather than feministic or chauvinistic.

Which Indian laws do you think are unfair?

PK. Several laws are misused by women, and used as a way of blackmailing men. Article 498A, that deals with dowry-related cases is the first that comes to mind. We believe it should be made a civil law, and a bailable offence. Under the Domestic Violence Act, the very definition of violence is questionable. Even domestic tiffs can land an entire family in jail. Rape laws are applicable to a man promising marriage to a woman if they have been intimate. This happens only in India.

KJ. The very reason we have shunned the celebrations of Independence is Marriage Law Amendment Bill 2010. Under this bill, it is proposed that a man can't challenge a divorce petition filed by his wife. It also allows the woman a claim over ancestral property of her former husband after divorce. This bill is unfair in so many ways. In cases of separation of parents, the judiciary in India assumes that the child needs a mother more than a father. A bad husband is not necessarily a bad father. All children need both parents equally.

Are there any suggestions for improving the current laws?

PK. In several divorce cases, the women ask for big amounts of alimony that are many times unjustifiable, like when a doctor wife asked her husband for a big sum monthly, of which Rs 35,000 was to be spent on entertainment. While deciding these amounts, especially in cases where the woman is gainfully employed, the financial and other situations of both parties must be duly considered.

KJ. To reduce the stress of a breaking marriage on children, shared parenting must be allowed as a norm. These cases must be disposed at the earliest possible. People found guilty of misusing laws like 498A, domestic violence act and such must be punished. Also, many times when women violate court orders judges go soft on them, which should not be done. Children's rights are constantly ignored in cases of separating and divorcing parents, where they are even used as weapons to fight personal battles.

You call the movement you have started "masculinism". How does it differ from chauvinism or chivalry?

PK. There is what we call cultural chauvinism in our society. This calls for more realistic expectations from men instead of putting excessive responsibility on them. The modern society gives women equal opportunities, so it is only fair to provide men with certain choices and freedom, too. Laws and society need not only be women-friendly but also men-friendly.

The changes in the way of living have affected marriages, too. Does that strike as a positive change to you?

KJ. In modern marriages, both men and women share all responsibilities, whether they are domestic or financial. This culture is spreading very fast, too. However, the cases of divorces and legal hassles that people have to live with for their whole lives are also increasing.   http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Society-and-laws-need-to-be-men-friendly-too/articleshow/21930311.cms 

Mauled men

woman reservation bill will result in gender war :AIMWA

Marital stress drives more men to suicide than women