Child’s right to identify father, right to property added to Devadasi Bill: Report
Bengaluru: Two important additions have reportedly been made to The Karnataka Devadasi (Prevention, Prohibition, Relief, and Rehabilitation) Bill drafted in 2018. The updated Bill now ensures that children born to Devadasis can identify their fathers and have the right to inherit property from both parents.
A copy of the Bill shows a holistic approach, with a focus on prevention, prohibition, relief and rehabilitation, as reported by Deccan Herald on Sunday. The current Act primarily focuses on prohibition of the Devadasi practice found in fifteen districts of the state.
The Devadasi system is a religious practice where girls from marginalised communities are dedicated to god. This practice often leads to them being forced into sexual slavery for life.
Seven years after it was drafted, the Bill is likely to be tabled in the Assembly in the upcoming Budget session, added the report. The Women and Child Development Department has prepared the Cabinet note and sent it to 20 other departments for feedback.
While the Devadasi practice was banned in Karnataka through the Karnataka Devadasis (Prohibition of Dedication) Act 1982, the regressive practice continues in some areas, albeit secretly.
Under the current system, male partners of Devadasis do not have to acknowledge the child as his own or take any paternal responsibilities. The new Bill, as cited by DH, proposes that any child born to a Devadasi will have the right to identify their father (Section 5). Additionally, the child of a Devadasi shall be entitled to inherit and succeed to the property of both parents (Section 8).
“From prevention to rehabilitation, every aspect has been taken care of in the Bill. Multiple departments have a role in the rehabilitation exercise. We are waiting for confirmation from them. Once that is obtained, we will place it before the Cabinet. The Bill is likely to be tabled in the coming Assembly session,” Shamla Iqbal, Principal Secretary, Women and Child Development Department, was quoted as saying by DH.
The Bill also highlights the role of multiple government departments, including health, education, skill development, and social welfare as implementing agencies and collaborators to support Devadasi welfare initiatives.
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2 held for strangling to death 3-year-old girl in Jharkhand’s Godda
Godda (PTI): Two persons were arrested for allegedly strangling to death a three-year-old girl and dumping her body into a well in Jharkhand’s Godda district, police said on Friday.
The incident took place at Makudi village within Muffasil police station limits on Thursday night, they said.
Villagers said they spotted a man identified as Prem Murmu (50) near the well at night and, suspecting foul play, informed the police.
"The kid's body was recovered from the well soon after, and Murmu was detained for questioning," said Anand Shah, the officer-in-charge of Muffasil police station.
During interrogation, Murmu told police that he and his friend Jarmen Soren (30) had killed the kid. Both were later arrested, Saha said.
"The accused were in an inebriated state at the time of the incident. They have not yet revealed the motive behind the killing. This has led to suspicion that the girl might have been raped," the OC said.
The duo have been sent to judicial custody after registering an FIR at the police station, police said.
