Human teeth not a dangerous weapon: Bombay HC after woman alleges being bit by sister-in-law
Mumbai (PTI): Human teeth cannot be considered as a dangerous weapon which would cause serious harm, the Bombay High Court said quashing an FIR filed on a woman's complaint against her in-laws wherein she alleged her sister-in-law bit her.
The complainant's medical certificates show there was only simple hurt caused by teeth marks, Justices Vibha Kankanwadi and Sanjay Deshmukh of the HC's Aurangabad bench said in the order on April 4.
As per the FIR lodged in April 2020 on the woman's complaint, during a scuffle, one of her sisters-in-law bit her, thus causing her harm with a dangerous weapon.
The accused were booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for causing harm with dangerous weapons, hurting someone and causing injury.
The court in its order said, "Human teeth cannot be said to be a dangerous weapon."
It allowed a petition filed by the accused and quashed the FIR.
Under section 324 of the Indian Penal Code (causing hurt using a dangerous weapon), the hurt should be by means of an instrument that is likely to cause death or serious harm, the HC said.
The medical certificates of the complainant in the present case show there was only simple hurt caused by teeth marks, the court said.
It would be an abuse of the process of law to make the accused face trial when the offence under section 324 is not made out, the HC said and quashed the FIR.
The court noted there appears to be a property dispute between the accused and the complainant.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
