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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Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya hammer half-centuries as India make 231/5 vs SA in 5th T20I
Ahmedabad (PTI): Skipper Suryakumar Yadav's poor run with the bat continued but India still managed a massive 231 for 5 thanks to Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya's blazing half-centuries and Sanju Samson's useful contribution at the top in the fifth and final T20 International here on Saturday.
Samson, who opened the batting in place of the injured vice-captain Shubman Gill, struck a 22-ball 37 and shared a 63-run stand with Abhishek Sharma (34 off 21 balls) as the hosts, leading the series 2-1, were off to a fine start.
Abhishek and later Samson's dismissals did not slow down the momentum as Varma (73 off 42 balls) continued to play his natural game even as Suryakumar (5) departed without making much of a contribution.
Varma and Hardik Pandya (63 off 25 balls) then shared a 115-run stand for the fourth wickets to carry the team past the 200-run mark, with the latter hammering five boundaries and as many sixes at a strike rate of over 250.
Earlier, India included pacer Jasprit Bumrah in place of Harshit Rana, while Washington Sundar came in for Kuldeep Yadav. Samson was included in place of Shubman Gill.
Brief scores.
India 231 for 5 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 34, Sanju Samson 37, Tilak Varma 73, Hardik Pandya 63; Corbin Bosch 2/44).
