Renew FCRA licence of RDT in Anantapur, urges CPI A.P. secretary
In a press release on Wednesday, Mr. Ramakrishna said that the Union Government of India suspended the renewal of RDT's FCRA license, which governs the organisation's ability to receive foreign contributions. If this issue is not resolved urgently, the decades-long humanitarian services of RDT may be disrupted.
'In view of humanitarian and public interest, we urgently appeal to the State government to request the Central government to immediately renew the FCRA license of RDT to ensure the continuity of its invaluable services,' he added.
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Business Standard
4 minutes ago
- Business Standard
'Bring down age of consent from 18 to 16 years': Plea filed in SC
The Supreme Court has been urged by amicus curiae and senior advocate Indira Jaising to read down the statutory age of consent from 18 to 16 years. Jaising, who is assisting the top court in "Nipun Saxena v. Union of India" case, has filled her written submissions challenging the blanket criminalisation of sexual activity involving adolescents aged 16 to 18 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012 and Section 375 of IPC. She has argued the current law criminalises consensual romantic relationships among adolescents and violates their constitutional rights. Jaising said the legal framework wrongly equates consensual relationships between adolescents with abuse, ignoring their autonomy, maturity, and capacity to consent. There is no rational reason or empirical data to justify the increase in the age of consent from 16 to 18 years, Jaising submitted, noting that the age had remained at 16 for over 70 years until it was raised by the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013. She pointed out the increase came without debate and went against the Justice Verma Committee's recommendation to retain 16 as the age of consent. The amicus curiae submitted adolescents today attain puberty earlier and are capable of forming romantic and sexual relationships of their choice. Scientific and social data, including findings from the National Family Health Survey, indicate sexual activity among teenagers is not uncommon, she said. Jaising cited a 180 per cent rise in prosecutions under POCSO involving minors aged 1618 between 2017 and 2021. Most complaints are filed by parents, often against the girl's will, in cases involving inter-caste or inter-faith relationships, she said, cautioning criminalising consensual sex forces young couples into hiding, marriage or legal trouble, instead of encouraging open dialogue and education". To address this, she urged the court to read into the law a close-in-age exception, which would exempt consensual sexual acts between adolescents aged 16 to 18 from prosecution under POCSO and IPC. Criminalising sex between teenagers is arbitrary, unconstitutional, and against the best interests of children, she said. The senior lawyer referred to international norms and Indian jurisprudence to argue that legal capacity is not strictly age-bound. Quoting the UK's Gillick ruling and India's own Puttaswamy privacy judgment, she said autonomy in decision-making is central to the right to privacy and must extend to adolescents capable of informed sexual choices. The submission also pointed to trends in various high courts, including Bombay, Madras, and Meghalaya, where judges have expressed disapproval over the automatic prosecution of adolescent boys under POCSO. These courts have stressed not all sexual acts involving minors are coercive, and the law should distinguish between abuse and consensual relationships. Jaising concluded urging the top court to declare consensual sex between adolescents aged between 16 and 18 was not a form of abuse and must be excluded from the purview of POCSO and rape laws. She called for a review of the mandatory reporting obligations under Section 19 of POCSO, which deter adolescents from seeking safe medical care. Sexual autonomy is part of human dignity, she said, "and denying adolescents the ability to make informed choices about their own bodies was a violation of Articles 14, 15, 19 and 21 of the Constitution. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hindustan Times
19 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Criminalising sex between teenagers…': Supreme Court urged to lower age of consent to 16
Senior advocate and amicus curiae Indira Jaising has urged the Supreme Court to lower the legal age of sexual consent from 18 to 16, arguing that the current law unfairly criminalises consensual relationships between teenagers. Senior advocate and amicus curiae Indira Jaising has urged the Supreme Court to reduce the legal age of sexual consent from 18 to 16(HT File) In her written submissions to the court in the Nipun Saxena v. Union of India case, Jaising challenged the blanket criminalisation of consensual sexual activity involving adolescents aged 16 to 18 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), PTI reported. She argued that the existing legal framework violates the constitutional rights of adolescents by treating consensual romantic relationships as criminal acts. 'There is no rational reason or empirical data to justify the increase in the age of consent from 16 to 18 years,' Jaising said, as quoted in the report. She pointed out that for over 70 years, the age of consent in India remained 16, and was raised to 18 through the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, without public debate. This, she said, went against the Justice Verma Committee's recommendation to keep it at 16. Jaising also argued that today's adolescents reach puberty earlier and are capable of making informed decisions about their relationships. She cited data from the National Family Health Survey and other sources to show that sexual activity among teenagers is common, and said the law needs to reflect this social reality. Between 2017 and 2021, Jaising noted, there was a 180 per cent rise in POCSO prosecutions involving minors aged 16 to 18. 'Most complaints are filed by parents, often against the girl's will, in cases involving inter-caste or inter-faith relationships,' she said. She warned that criminalising consensual sex 'forces young couples into hiding, marriage or legal trouble, instead of encouraging open dialogue and education.' To address this, she urged the court to introduce a 'close-in-age' exception that would exempt consensual sexual activity between adolescents aged 16 to 18 from being prosecuted under POCSO or rape laws. 'Criminalising sex between teenagers is arbitrary, unconstitutional, and against the best interests of children,' she added. Jaising also referred to international legal standards and Indian case law that recognise a young person's right to make informed choices. She cited the UK's Gillick ruling and India's Puttaswamy privacy judgment to argue that personal autonomy must also extend to adolescents. She further pointed to observations made by several high courts—including Bombay, Madras, and Meghalaya—that have raised 'concerns' about automatically prosecuting adolescent boys under POCSO, even when the sexual relationship is consensual. These courts have underlined the need to distinguish between coercive abuse and consensual acts involving minors, the report added. Jaising concluded by urging the Supreme Court to clarify that consensual sex between 16 to 18-year-olds is not a criminal offence and should not fall under the definition of abuse under POCSO or IPC. With PTI inputs
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Chhattisgarh: 25 Maoists including top SZCM surrender in Bijapur with collective bounties worth Rs 1.15 cr
RAIPUR: In a major blow to the CPI (Maoists), 25 hardcore cadres, including a top State Zonal Committee Member (SZCM) carrying a bounty of Rs 25 lakh, surrendered before senior police and paramilitary officials in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh's Bastar region on Thursday. The total bounty on the surrendered Maoists amounts to Rs 1.15 crore. The surrender was facilitated under the Chhattisgarh government's revised surrender and rehabilitation policy and senior police officials briefing the press said that it marks a turning point in the state's sustained counter-insurgency efforts, particularly in deep forested zones like Bijapur, where new security camps and road infrastructure have begun reaching previously untouched areas. The highest-ranking surrender was Ramanna Irpa alias Jagdish alias Vikesh, a 37-year-old SZCM and commander-in-chief of Company number 8, who was active since 2002 and carried a Rs 25 lakh bounty. He was strategist behind multiple high-profile ambushes on security forces in Odisha and Chhattisgarh and his job was to oversee arms supply, jungle warfare training camps, and inter-state coordination. Police said that as per the records, he was active since 2002 and was considered the 'nerve center' of CPI (Maoist) operations in Odisha's southern corridor and had been operating in the 'Red Triangle' between Malkangiri, Sukma, and Bijapur. Another cadre Sukku Kalmu alias Vinod Karma on the rank of Divisional Committee Member (DVCM) operated in National Park Area Committee and led Maoist student fronts. He carried Rs 8 lakh bounty and was active since1999. He was known for radicalizing tribal youth through front organizations and leading armed protests. Played a key role in enforcing Maoist rule in the Abujhmarh forest belt. Police officials, including Bastar Range IG P Sundarraj, Dantewada DIG Kamalochan Kashyap, and Bijapur SP Jitendra Kumar Yadav, along with CRPF, CoBRA and DRG were present during the formal surrender. SP Yadav said, 'This is a significant dent in the Maoist leadership hierarchy. The surrender of an SZCM shows the ideological and operational breakdown within the outfit.' In statements made during the debriefing, many Maoists cited internal dissent, exploitation within the outfit, and disillusionment with extremist ideology as major reasons for quitting. Several cadres mentioned their desire to 'rejoin the mainstream' and live peaceful lives with their families. SP Jitendra Yadav urged remaining Maoist operatives to abandon violence and take advantage of the government's rehabilitation scheme. 'The door to peaceful and dignified life is wide open. Your families want you back. Leave the false promises of outside elements behind,' he appealed. Since January 2025, Bijapur district has witnessed intensified anti-Maoist operations, resulting in significant setbacks for the insurgent network. Over this period, 242 Maoists have surrendered, choosing to join the mainstream under the state's rehabilitation policy. In addition, 300 cadres have been arrested, and 127 Maoists have been killed in various encounters across the region.
