Topic Of The Day:-“It’s Time To Enact An Anti-Lynching Law”
In a civilised society, even one lynching is too many. But India has seen a spate of them of late. The data website India Spend has compiled instances of cow-linked violence from 2010 to 2017. It found that during this period, 28 people were killed in 63 such incidents. An overwhelming 97% of these attacks took place after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government came to power in May 2014. About 86% of those killed were Muslims. In 21% of the cases, the police led cases against the victims/survivors. Cow-related lynchings rose sharply in 2017, with 20 attacks in the first six months. This marks a 75% increase over 2016, which had been the worst year for mob lynchings since 2010. The groundswell of public disgust at the lynchings crystallised under the banner of the National Campaign Against Mob Lynching (NCAML), which has initiated a campaign for a law against mob lynching. Also known as ‘Masuka’, short for Manav Suraksha Kanoon (law to protect humans), a draft of the proposed legislation is currently up on the Internet, awaiting suggestions from the public. The primary argument of the activists and lawyers advocating an anti-lynching law is that it fills a void in our criminal jurisprudence. It is true that at present there is no law that criminalises mob killings. The Indian Penal Code has provisions for unlawful assembly, rioting, and murder but nothing that takes cognisance of a group of people coming together to kill (a lynch mob). It is possible, under Section 223 (a) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), to prosecute together two or more people accused of the same offence committed in the course of the “same transaction”. But the provision falls far short of an adequate legal framework for prosecuting lynch mobs. The NCAML’s draft Protection from Lynching Act, 2017 defines, for the first time in Indian legal history, the terms ‘lynching’, ‘mob’ and ‘victim’ of mob lynching. It makes lynching a non-bailable offence, criminalises dereliction of duty by a policeman, criminalises incitement on social media, and stipulates that adequate compensation be paid, within a definite time frame, to victims and survivors. It also guarantees a speedy trial and witness protection.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) Lynching
Meaning: (of a group of people) kill (someone) for an alleged offence without a legal trial, especially by hanging.
Example: Her father had been lynched by whites.
Synonyms: Hang, Execute
2) Compiled
Meaning: Produce (a list or book) by assembling information collected from other sources.
Example: The local authority must compile a list of the names and addresses of taxpayers.
Synonyms: Assemble, Collate
3) Overwhelming
Meaning: Very great in amount.
Example: His party won overwhelming support.
Synonyms: Very large, Profuse and Enormous
Antonyms: Small
4) Disgust
Meaning: A feeling of revulsion or strong disapproval aroused by something unpleasant or offensive.
Example: The sight filled her with disgust.
Synonyms: Revulsion, Repugnance
Antonyms: Relish
5) Crystallised
Meaning: Make or become definite and clear.
Example: Vague feelings of unrest crystallized into something more concrete.
Synonyms: Become clear, Become definite
6) Jurisprudence
Meaning: The theory or philosophy of law; a legal system.
Example: American jurisprudence.
7) Cognisance
Meaning: Knowledge or awareness.
Example: The Renaissance cognizance of Greece was limited.
Synonyms: Awareness, Notice
8) Prosecute
Meaning: Institute or conduct legal proceedings against (a person or organization); Institute legal proceedings in respect of (a claim or offence).
Example: The state’s attorney’s office seemed to decide that this was a case worth prosecuting.
Synonyms: Take to court, Accuse and Summons
Antonyms: Defend, Let off
9) Dereliction
Meaning: The shameful failure to fulfil one’s obligations.
Example: The prosecution team were guilty of dereliction of duty for failing to disclose evidence.
Synonyms: Negligence, Neglect
Antonyms: Fulfilment
10) Incitement
Meaning: The action of provoking unlawful behaviour or urging someone to behave unlawfully.
Example: This amounted to an incitement to commit murder.
Synonyms: Egging on, Urging
Antonyms: Suppression, Discouragement
11) Stipulates
Meaning: Demand or specify (a requirement), typically as part of an agreement.
Example: He stipulated certain conditions before their marriage.
Synonyms: Specify, Set down