Supreme Court issues notice to Centre on plea to include rape laws in school curriculum
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from the Central government on a petition seeking to introduce rape laws and women's rights in the school syllabus. The petition also calls for moral education aimed at fostering awareness about sexual equality and ensuring the dignity of women and girls.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud issued the notice on a petition filed by senior advocate Aabad Harshad Ponda. The plea was motivated by the recent rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata.
Ponda argued that while certain states have introduced severe penalties for rape, including mandatory life imprisonment or death sentences, such measures alone may not suffice. He contended that awareness and education about the laws are crucial to addressing the issue at its root.
"The repeated occurrence of rapes in the country indicates a failure in governance and law enforcement," Ponda said. He emphasised the need to educate the public, particularly the uneducated and economically disadvantaged, about rape and the legal protections available.
The petition highlighted recent laws in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh mandating death sentences for rape and murder, while West Bengal has introduced similar legislation awaiting Presidential assent. Ponda expressed concern about the legality of such laws, citing past Supreme Court rulings that have struck down similar provisions. He referenced Mithu v State of Punjab (1983) and State of Punjab v Dalbir Singh (2012), where the Court ruled that mandatory death sentences violated constitutional principles.
The plea further called for schools and educational institutions, including government-aided ones, to incorporate sex education and penal laws related to rape, alongside promoting gender equality and respect for the rights of women and girls.
Ponda also stressed the importance of public awareness campaigns through media and social platforms to deter such crimes and educate the public about the legal consequences and available remedies.
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
