Civil Service Bytes

In News: Unaware of the POSCO law, tribals in Kerala marry minors and are punished for rape The  Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POSCO)  is no doubt an effective deterrent to sexual exploitation and harassment of minors. But its textual implementation in the tribal belts of Kerala has given rise to a strange situation. Many  tribals, who are ignorant of the stringent provisions in the Act, marry minor girls , in keeping with their traditional practice, and  end up in jail on rape charges . Most cases are registered without any formal complaint from the girls or their parents. “The situation is prevalent in almost all tribal belts of Kerala, including Wayanad, Attappady and Idukki. But the worst affected are the Paniya and Kattunaika community members in Wayanad.” “Child marriage is common among the Paniya and Kattunaikars tribes  and this has remained a part of their custom for many years. These people are not aware of t...

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 has come into force from today and repeals the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2015 was passed by Lok Sabha on 7 th   May, 2015; was passed by Rajya Sabha on 22 nd   December, 2015 and received Presidential assent on 31 st   December, 2015.   The JJ Act, 2015 provides for strengthened provisions for both children in need of care and protection and children in conflict with law. Some of the key provisions include: change in nomenclature  from ‘juvenile’ to ‘child’ or ‘child in conflict with law’, across the Act  to remove the  negative connotation  associated with the word “juvenile”;    inclusion of several new definitions such as  orphaned, abandoned and surrendered children ; and petty, serious and heinous offences committed by children;    clarity in powers, func...

In a bid to undo historical injustice meted out to primitive tribal communities living in central India, the government of Madhya Pradesh has for the first time recognised the habitat rights of seven villages in Dindori district, mostly inhabited by the Baigas. In a meeting held in village Rajni Sarai on January 13, the district administration told the villagers they are free to access all their ancestral rights over land and forests. The administration also assured them that the government will not be able to transfer any land for non-community uses without “consent”. District Collector Chhavi Bhardwaj, who started the process of recognising habitat rights in 2014, told  Down To Earth that around 9,308 hectares in the seven villages—Dhaba, Rajni Sarai, Dhurkutta, Limauta, Jilang, Silpidi and Ajgar—have been granted to about 900 families under Section 3 (1) d of Forest Rights Act, 2006. Ekta Parishad, a non-profit based in Tilda in Chhattisgarh, was instrumental in en...

Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS) Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS) to integrate CCTNS with E-Courts Implemented by Ministry of Home Affairs for a major revamp of the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) Objective Ensure quick data transfer among pillars of criminal justice system To bring transparency and reduce processing time Aligned with vision of Smart Policing and Digital India of the Government Number of services will be enabled through citizen portal Services include- Police Verification for various purposes including passport verification Reporting a crime including cyber-crime Online tracking of the case progress Online reporting of grievances against police officials Accessing victim compensation fund and legal services etc. Digitize data related to FIR registration, investigation and charge sheets in all Police Stations Major Components includes Citizen Portal having interfaces with various e-governance projects like Aad...

Uniform civil code needed for gender justice Three days after a 26-year-old Noida resident reportedly told her husband about her pregnancy, she received a talaq e-mail citing her dark skin as the reason. Four months into the marriage, she says her husband harassed her from day one. While the Noida resident filed a police complaint earlier this week, scores of Muslim women suffer because of the 'triple talaq' divorce system. Ironically, there is no law to regulate this.  It is for issues like this, considered part of personal laws, there is a demand for a uniform civil code. Article 44 of the Constitution says the state shall endeavour to secure, for the citizens, a uniform civil code throughout India. Earlier this month, the government informed the Lok Sabha that it has received representations from various quarters supporting implementation of a uniform civil code. It also informed the lower house of the Parliament that in view of th...