Advocates and Law Students have written an elaborate letter to the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India on 23rd June, 2021, urging the Apex court to take Suo moto cognizance and direct the Law Ministry to formulate law governing cruelty against men in order to eradicate their helplessness and to fill in the lacuna in the law.
The letter highlighted that Supreme Court being the watchful guardian of the fundamental right of equality must take note of how the cruelty against men both physically and mentally in the modern day is increasing rapidly. It was stated in the view of the current scenario section 498 A of the Indian Penal Code fails to qualify the test of gender neutrality depriving aggrieved man of his legal remedy. The object of section 498A was to protect the women from the harassment caused to them due to dowry and which sometimes led to their death.
However, the present-day statistics tell us a different story where women's suicide is reduced by 2 percent, while male's suicide is increased by 48 percent. The letter also pointed out the case of a tribal man who was killed by his wife’s family on his failure to pay them 'Deja (reverse dowry). Further false allegations against men under Section 498 A were also highlighted in the present letter.
In the light of the above, the letter highlighted the fact that crime has no gender, and everyone should be deterred from committing it. The letter thus stated that the laws in India must recognize that Men too have mental burnout, that men too are subjected to Cruelty. Thus appropriate legal recourse in their favor must be taken to eradicate their helplessness and to fill in the lacuna in the law.
Read Letter @LatestLaws.com:
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