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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Nothing wrong in MLAs aspiring for ministerial position: K'taka HM Parameshwara
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Bengaluru (PTI): Amid a group of ruling Congress MLAs camping in Delhi with a cabinet rejig demand for their inclusion, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday said there was nothing wrong in legislators aspiring for ministerial positions.
He asserted that experienced MLAs were capable of handling such responsibilities.
His remarks came a day after senior and first-time MLAs stepped up lobbying efforts in the national capital with the party high command, seeking a cabinet reshuffle and greater representation.
"There is nothing wrong in them asking for it (ministerial position)," Parameshwara, a senior Congress leader, said
He added that the MLAs, some of who have been elected thrice, are capable to take up the ministerial positions.
He maintained that the final call on any cabinet reshuffle rests with the party high command.
"Our Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah), the high command, and our party (state) president (DK Shivakumar) decide about reshuffle. These three sit together and take a decision," he said.
The minister also indicated that the established procedure for cabinet formation was likely being followed.
"Earlier too, when I was the (state Congress) president, during cabinet formation, the Pradesh Congress Committee president, the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader, and our in-charge general secretaries would take decisions that would then be presented before our AICC president, approval would be obtained, and then it would be announced," he said.
He added that even today the same procedure is followed.
Responding to questions on whether senior ministers would make way for newcomers, Parameshwara said they would abide by the party's decision.
"If the high command decides then we have to accept it. There is no question of not accepting it," he said.
Stressing on party discipline, he added, "Whether it is me, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, or Energy Minister K J George, we all are seniors. If they (high command) decide that we should be replaced and make changes, then there is no question of us opposing it."
Clarifying that discussions were limited to a possible cabinet reshuffle, he said decisions on leadership matters were entirely in the hands of the high command.
He said the discussions were limited only to the Cabinet rejig and not changing the party state president, a post being held by Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar for the past six years.
"Right now we are discussing cabinet reshuffle, not about the party president. All such matters are left to the high command," he said.
Recalling his own appointment as state Congress president in the past, Parameshwara said he had not lobbied for the post. "When I was made president, I did not lobby for it. Our leader Sonia Gandhi took the decision. It came as a surprise to me. I had not asked for it," he said.
On Sunday, several senior MLAs travelled to Delhi to press for a cabinet reshuffle, while first-time legislators renewed their demand for representation, seeking at least five berths in the Siddaramaiah-led ministry.
The push for a rejig comes amid internal rumblings within the ruling party and speculation over leadership issues, even as the high command is yet to take a final call.
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