Government Exposed Again after Rape

Now, after public roar on the issue of gang rape in Delhi, government is ready to change outdated rape law. Government has constituted a committee under chairmanship of retired chief justice J.S. Verma, to look into the law for its further amendment. This committee has started its work and will submit the report within one month. Do you know the government’s position on this issue at international forums?                                        
            Not only regressive rape laws, government has decided not to amend the constitution to ensure reservation to women in the Parliament and assemblies. This is not the end of government’s dual talk. It has also refused to take adequate measures to guarantee and monitor the effective implementation of the prevention of atrocities act and providing legal means for an increased protection of vulnerable groups like Dalits including access to legal remedies for affected persons.

               This dual face of our Aam Aadami UPA government can be clearly seen in the united nation’s human rights status report-2012. United nation human rights council (UNHRC) makes a periodic review of human rights of all 193 member states. India’s first universal periodic review took place in year 2008 and the latest one in year 2012. Many government delegation  were sent abroad to represent its views, spending crores of public money.

          Report clearly exposes the government’s double speak which claims to work day and night for poor, dalits, women and aam aadami. On page number 206, under the heading- ‘Barriers to access to justice: Regressive Laws’, there was a proposal to enact comprehensive reforms to address SEXUAL VIOLENCE against women, including  ‘HONOUR CIMES’, child marriage, female foeticide and female infanticide, and to remedy limitations in the definition of RAPE and medico-forensic procedures accepted for RAPE cases. Government had straightway rejected it.

            Similarly on page number 209, there is a proposal to take adequate measures to guarantee and monitor the effective implementation of the prevention of atrocities act, providing legal means for an increased protection of vulnerable groups like DALITS, including the access to legal remedies for affected persons is also rejected by government of India. Even this was not accepted by our government.

            Most striking attitude of UPA government can be seen on page number 211 of the report. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has claimed publically on many occasions that the government is trying to pass women reservation bill, which seeks to reserve 33 percent seats for women in the Loksabha and Assemblies. All the time she blames that opposition is creating hurdle in smooth passage of this bill.  This bill requires 108^th amendment in the constitution. UNHRC Proposal was to consider expediting the process to pass the 108^th constitutional amendment bill. Do you know what our government replied on this proposal- NOT ACCEPTED.

           Looking at the real face of our government, it can be predicted easily that the new amendment in Rape Law will not include Death Penalty or Chemical Castration for convicts. Now, it is time to think seriously about our democracy and the government of the people, for the people and by the people.