Nirbhaya: story of Betrayal
Nirbhaya case that happened during UPA tenure drew the attention of the state towards rape cases and its victims. The resultant uproar and debate forced the govt to bring certain changes in the law related to rape victims.
The way the country responded to Nirbhaya case, one would have assumed that the rape cases would dwindle in the country. Unfortunately even during these four years of NDA, rape cases dominated the media.
Ironically the leaders within the govt seemed to be active in hushing up many a rape cases. When the very registering of a complaint by the rape victim looks hazardous, how one can expect a speedy justice from the state.?
In this country both acid attack victims and rape victims are fellow travelers. Both are an attack on the very persona of a woman. Rape victim suffers psychologically while acid attack victim suffers both physically and mentally to face the society and build the life all over again. Though acid attack is purportedly physical it intensely affects the mind of the victim.
As the society puts a premium on the physical beauty, the acid attack victim lives like an untouchable. Irony is that in both these ghastly cases the perpetrators of the crime go unpunished. The way the victims are treated during trial stage may be a major factor for this injustice. The rape victims are hesitant to wage an open protest against the perpetrator. Our society instead of looking down upon the perpetrator treats the victim harshly.
Precisely for this reason, the law enables the state to provide instant compensation to the victim to instill a sense of confidence. A separate fund has been established for this purpose in 2013. Irrespective of whether the victim gets justice in the ensuing legal battle, the state should provide for their rehabilitation instantly.
Tragic aspect of the whole deliberation is that only 23 victims from 9 states have received compensation from this fund. As per the National Legal service Authority only 510 rape victims were benefited with any compensation. Is the Govt stating that the victims of rape are only 500? If not, what explains the failure of the govt to compensate others?
The SC has already suggested that The National Legal Cell Authority can suo moto take up the issue and disburse compensation to the victims. The Court has ordered that all the states and UTs should provide compensation from minimum Rs. Five lakhs to maximum Rs. Ten lakhs.
In cases of rape and murder or mass rape the compensation is Rs. 10 lakhs. If the victim sustains 80% physical disability or severe disability and additional amount of minimum Rs. Five lakhs should be disbursed according to the honorable court.
In Acid attacks depending on the severity of attack Rs. 5-6 lakhs should be instantly disbursed irrespective of trial proceedings.
Rs. one lakh should be disbursed within fifteen days of the said incident and in the subsequent two months two lakh each should be disbursed. If the victim is a minor the compensation amount should be increased by 50% .
When the victim is suffering socially and psychologically this compensation would provide her some fillip. The compensation will also help the victim to meet the expenses of medical treatment, rehabilitation and legal battle. However the bureaucratic machinery seems to be trying its level best to hinder the speedy disbursement to the victim.
Police dilly dally even to register a complaint from the sexually harassed women. In case they are forced to register, they will get even with the victim by delaying the disbursement of the compensation.
If the victim belongs to oppressed class the compensation is pocketed by middlemen according to reports. According to a report submitted to SC, In 2017, 901 sexual harassment cases were reported from AP; however only one victim was provided with compensation.
In Rajasthan 3305 FIRs were registered; and only 140 victims received compensation. Similarly in Bihar 1199 FIRs were filed, while only 82 received relief. Even if we look at the quantum of relief, maximum relief was to the tune of Rs. 7000.
Though the society debates animatedly whether the perpetrator of the crime should be awarded capital punishment or not, there is a need to bring to the fore the punishment meted out to the victim indirectly. The society needs to discuss this dereliction of duty by the state.
One should not suffer for the crime one has not committed. The first step to ensure this is to see that the compensation stipulated by the law reaches the victim without any hassle or obstacle.
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Tonnes of untreated waste being dumped in landfills in Kedarnath, reveals RTI query
Dehradun, Nov 8: Tonnes of untreated waste continues to be dumped at the landfill sites around the famous Himalayan temple of Kedarnath, causing concern among those who care for the environment as the area is eco-sensitive.
A total of 49.18 tonnes of unprocessed garbage generated in Kedarnath was dumped at the two landfill sites near the temple between 2022 and 2024, an RTI query filed by a Noida-based environmentalist has revealed.
The non-processed garbage generated in the area also showed a rising trend during the period, with 13.2 tonnes of untreated waste generated in 2022, 18.48 tonnes in 2023 and 17.5 tonnes so far this year, according to the Uttarakhand government's response to the query filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Besides, the eco-sensitive area also generated 23.3 tonnes of inorganic garbage during the period.
However, all of it was processed or recycled, the public information officer of the Kedarnath Nagar Panchayat said in response to the RTI query filed by Amit Gupta.
"The RTI data is shocking both in terms of the quantity of garbage generated and the manner in which it has been left untreated. It proves once again that there is no proper garbage management system in Kedarnath, which is an eco-sensitive area," Gupta said.
"The temple is situated at a height of 12,000 feet, where there are also glaciers. The eco-sensitivity of the area is beyond doubt. The lack of a proper garbage management system in Kedarnath even figured in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann Ki Baat programme last year. Still nothing is being done by the authorities on the ground to transport the plastic waste to the plains and process it," he said.
The two landfill sites near the temple are reaching their saturation point. If things continue in this manner, another tragedy like the 2013 disaster is unavoidable, the activist said.
What makes the situation even more worrying is that the response to the RTI query claims that no complaint was registered or action taken during the period against garbage disposal in an irresponsible manner.
"I have myself been writing to the authorities for the last two years on the garbage issue in Kedarnath. At least half-a-dozen complaints have been filed by me only," Gupta said.
"The NGT and the NMCG have also taken note of my complaints. Sharing my concern, they directed the authorities to do something to rid the holy place located in the ecologically-fragile Himalayas of untreated waste by setting up enough sewage treatment plants in Kedarnath," he added.
The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has also written to the Rudraprayag district administration, asking it to take necessary steps to stop the rising pollution levels of the Mandakini river, which flows near the Himalayan temple.
The NMCG issued the directions to the district administration on a complaint filed by Gupta on the basis of an RTI query, which revealed that the absence of sewage treatment plants in Kedarnath is leading to rising pollution levels in the Mandakini, a tributary of the Ganga, with untreated waste being released directly into it.
