PRESS RELEASE
Satyagraha with Dr. Santhosh’s 2500+ Kms Padyatra against IPC 498A & Demand to form Purush Ayog with immediate effect
IPC 498A, the most misused provision in the Indian Penal Code, can easily be termed as the provision which has both historic and present ill-effect on Indian Society and Indian family system. India, which has been respected across the globe for it’s family system has been under a constant threat of western powers. These powers, via few misguided Anti-Family organizations and individuals have be conspiring against India’s family system and hence, India itself. They gave India, “Gender War”. India was pumped with more and more Anti Male views for years. As a result of which, gradually India adapted to a new way of upbringing it’s children. Children, who were differentiated, doubted, questioned and loaded, based on Gender within the family. Pushing a sense of mistrust within the family, based on Gender wasn’t enough for these Anti-Family powers and they pushed India into Gender Biased Law making process. As a result, IPC 498A was enacted in 1983 with the view of cases which don’t result in IPC 304B (Dowry Death).
Since inception, IPC 498A has opened it’s draconian jaws and has ate just not men but also their families. This provision of IPC claims to have the most negative records to it’s (de)fame with likes of an infant being granted bail in IPC 498A case, more than 25 lakh people jailed in till date (more than Indians jailed during british raaj of 100 years), more than 47000 women jailed every year, and most of those who were put behind bars were not found to be guilty. Observing how 498-A has become a tool of extortion and to settle personal scores, it has been called ‘Legal Terrorism’ by Hon’ble Supreme Court and many more such feats.
It was IPC 498A which has again set another black record. Dr. Santhoshkumar Bhagwana Potdar from Thelasangha village of Belgaum, has done his post-graduation in MSW, MA (Psy), (PGDCA), Ph.D., and is a medical consultant and social activist. It was this same draconian provision and it’s easy misuse which made Dr. Potdar an easy target. His career was put in complete jeopardy, he was dragged to India by his first wife. He took this as a cause and decided to bring awareness and present his demands about this law to the highest authority of the country and as a result, Potdar began his padyatra onJanuary 30 and plans to reach New Delhi after walking 2,500 Kms, on May 23. He is accompanied by his 2nd wife too. Dr. Potdar has touched almost 8 states by now and with every inch of these 2500+ kilometres of India, he has spread the word to the world about the misuse.
Save Family Foundation is part of the Save Indian Family (SIF) Movement which has been working on the social cause of promoting family and marital harmony since 2005. The movement is 40+ NGOs strong which are non-funded, non-profit and absolutely non-commercial. The movement has helped over 20 crores Indians in past 10 years by providing community help to them. The movement focuses primarily on Men Suicide in India because of distress caused by Misuse of various Gender Based Laws. A disturbed Man or loss of a son/brother/father/husband effects the complete family and devastates them.
SIF, hereby stands with Dr. Santhosh in pushing following demands from Government and Parliament of India:
- Scrap IPC 498A / Punish misuser of Law
- Making of Men’s Commission in India (MCI)
IPC 498A laurels with about 2 lakh cases filed every year of which less than 15% are found to be true. India sees over 64000 Husband Suicide and 98000 Male Suicides in India (both numbers more than double of opposite Gender). India has also seen almost 5 lakh marriages reaching court rooms every year on allegations like not enough eat-outs or family dog is rapist or sister-in-law harassing over phone etc. etc.
IPC 498A must be scrapped as all the scenarios are covered already by various provisions of Dowry Prohibition Act and other physical assault/threats sections like IPC 323 or 504 or 506 etc. and also completely in Domestic Violence Act. This law which has already earned it’s rightful place as the most misused law in India, has been even called ‘Legal Terrorism’ by Hon’ble Supreme Court. There have been various directions from various Courts to stop the misuse of this law but Government is sitting quiet. Whereas, Justice Malimath Committee and Rajya Sabha Committee of Petitions asked the law to be made Bailable, the government seems to working on making this as Compoundable instead. A compoundable IPC 498A will increase the misuse as it has shown in Andhra Pradesh, after becoming compoundable. Hence, it is high time that the government must end the existing Double Jeopardy in Law and SCRAP IPC 498A.
India, has Ministry for Women and Child, Department of Animal Husbandry, Department of Forests, Ministry of Environment, Ministry for Chemicals too but does not have any Ministry or Department for Men. National Human Rights also seems to be selectively picking and choosing incidents of Human Rights Violation. As a result of this huge gap, all the family laws in India are drafted purely on inputs from 2 Pro-Women (and Anti-Male) bodies i.e. Ministry of Women and Child Development and National Commission for Women. Hence, India boasts of over 50 laws where a man can NOT be a victim. With this Press Release, we wish to further step-up our demand of formation of Men’s Commission of India (MCI) which would work on the lines of roles and responsibilities that NCW has for Women. We are talking about equality, let’s start first with the Ministries itself.
Save Indian Family, to press for both these demands has announced “Satyagraha for Men’s Commission & to scrap IPC 498A” on 5th May 2015 in Delhi. Over 1000 people who are real victims of this law and are pushing for making of Men’s Commission, would be part of this Dharna / Protest at Jantar Mantar. The Protests starts at 10AM and would end only by 5PM. Dr. Santhosh would also be joining the protest along with these 1000+ people who are coming from every nook-n-corner of the country. We will have representations from as south as Tamil Nadu / Kerala, as East as Arunachal Pradesh, as West as Gujarat and as North as Jammu & Kashmir. The whole country is united on this demand across states, religion, ethnicity, language, gender.”
