Latest news with #NCLs
Hans India
a day ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Union Home Secy lauds TG cops
Hyderabad: Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan appreciated Telangana Police for smooth rollout of NCLs (New Criminal Laws) and its efforts in narcotics control. The Home Secretary visited Hyderabad and held a review of the implementation of NCLs in Telangana state. State Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao, Special Chief Secretary (Home) Ravi Gupta, Director General of Police Dr Jitender and other senior IAS and IPS officers attended. The DGP and senior officials briefed the MHA team on transition, training & tech upgrades in the enforcement of NCLs.
Indian Express
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
One year of new criminal laws: The challenges of implementation
The new criminal laws (NCLs) — the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) — came into force on July 1, 2024, amid much debate and discussion. The NCLs have been projected as encouraging speedy justice, tech-centric, forensic-centric, victim-centric, and future-proof, and have given an unprecedented spur to the conversation on the decolonisation of laws. Nevertheless, reflecting on laws should not be viewed as a static, one-off exercise, but rather as a continuous process. Given that the NCLs are approaching their first anniversary, efforts must be made to assess their implementation, feasibility, shortcomings, and challenges. Normative changes in legal regimes often create implementation ambiguities and confusion. The experience with NCLs has not been different. A change in criminal law typically affects four major components of the criminal justice system: Police, prosecution, judiciary, and the bar. The second half of 2024 saw a flurry of training programmes to familiarise functionaries with the NCLs. While the writers of this article, being educators, provided extensive training sessions which were mandated for police, prosecutors, and the judiciary, such mandatory training for practising advocates remained either noticeably absent or insufficient. Further, highlighting the divide between legislative intent-based classroom learning, the functionaries faced significant challenges in the real-world implementation of the laws. First, even as the aspirations of a 21st-century digital criminal justice system are obviated by the NCLs, their implementation has been stymied by a lack of adequate infrastructural support at the ground level. Several police stations, especially in remote areas, lack basic access to the internet and tools enabling digital access. Courtrooms, too, are not yet uniformly and adequately equipped to handle digital submissions and virtual hearings. Similarly, not all prisons are equipped with digital equipment to facilitate digital appearances in court. While these appear to be infrastructural issues unrelated to the substance of the criminal laws, it bears noting that the feasibility of the laws' implementation must be a normative consideration for legislators. Second, the primary measure to achieve speedy justice has been the introduction of timelines in the BNSS. For instance, victims must be informed about the progress of the investigation within 90 days; the supply of police reports to the accused must be completed within 14 days; discharge applications must be filed within 60 days, and charges must be framed within 60 days. These timelines are laudable in theory. However, there is a notable absence of enforcement mechanisms, other than the statutory provisions on timelines, to ensure compliance by the functionaries. Achieving these timelines realistically requires additional resources. In this context, it is pertinent to note that the India Justice Report 2025 (IJR) observes an average vacancy rate of 22 per cent in the police forces and the district judiciary, respectively. Imposing timelines without simultaneously accounting for the increased manpower requirements disproportionately burdens the existing functionaries. Third, there has been an appreciable thrust on forensics under the BNSS and BSA. However, as noted above, infrastructural and manpower-related issues continue to plague implementation. According to the IJR, there were 47 per cent administrative vacancies and 49 per cent scientific vacancies nationwide in forensics. The number of forensic laboratories capable of handling vast caseloads effectively and efficiently remains unnervingly low. Although both the Centre and state governments have taken measures to give impetus to forensics and rectify the shortcomings, such measures will take time to bear fruit. Fourth, implementation challenges have also arisen in terms of the substance of NCLs. For instance, the use of the phrase 'digital record' in Section 61 of BSA in juxtaposition to 'electronic record' in Sections 62 and 63, without any conceptual differentiation, creates avoidable ambiguities. The measure under Section 63(4), BSA, which requires a certificate from both the person in lawful control of the device and an expert for the admissibility of an electronic record, without providing for the actual notification of such experts, creates procedural difficulties. Fifth, although the revamped arrest procedure under the BNSS has introduced transparency and accountability, several practical challenges remain unaddressed. For instance, although the BNSS requires that the grounds for arrest be clearly communicated in a language understood by the accused, in practice, the arresting police officers often read out the grounds for arrest in a legalistic and formalistic manner, which is incomprehensible to the accused. Similarly, while the arrest memo must specify the grounds for arrest in furtherance of judicial directions, arrest memo formats in several states omit this. Ideally, given the pertinence of an arrest memo, a format should be appended to Schedule 2 of the BNSS. Nevertheless, there is a need for states to update the format and make the same available to all police officers. Sixth, the introduction of community service as a form of punishment under the BNSS has been a welcome reform, marking a seminal shift in Indian penology. However, the lack of a formal mechanism for implementing the provision in the BNSS provides an opportunity for uneven implementation. Some states and UTs have issued guidelines specifying how the punishment is to be executed but a majority of states are yet to do so. Most states lack the infrastructure required to implement such a punishment. The challenges are not limited to the ones discussed here. At this juncture, several of these problems can be classified as teething issues, which can and must be rectified as early as possible. This requires the institutionalisation of an implementation stocktaking and feedback mechanism that allows the functionaries of the criminal justice system to communicate the challenges they face in real time. Simultaneously, systematic research is required to pre-empt potential challenges that will arise as the criminal justice system adapts to the new regime and cases reach appellate levels. Bajpai, Vice-Chancellor of National Law University Delhi, served as the Convenor of the Criminal Law Reform Committee of India. Kaushik is an Assistant Professor at NLU Delhi
Indianapolis Star
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Helen's Pink Sky Foundation featured during Indy 500 broadcast. What to know
A fundraiser for a rare neurodegenerative disorder affecting a four-year-old girl with a connection to racing was highlighted during the 2025 Indianapolis 500. Helen's Pink Sky Foundation was featured in a commercial shown during the race broadcast on Fox. The foundation is named for a Minnesota girl, Helen Betty Born, and raises awareness and funds research to find a cure for CLN2 Batten disease, which affects two to four of 100,000 children in the United States. The disorder is inherited. Some children die in early childhood from the disease, while others may be able to live into their teens or twenties. Worldwide, about 14,000 children are known to have Batten disease. In recognition of Helen's fourth birthday on May 31, the foundation is calling for people to host pink lemonade stands May 30-June 1 and donate proceeds to Batten disease awareness. Helen, the daughter of two cybersecurity professionals, was diagnosed with the disease in March 2025, after showing symptoms that included slight speech delays, clumsiness, eye flutters, sudden falls and shaking and experiencing seizures. Her parents started the foundation to help fund research and find a cure for the disease. Meyer Shank Racing has pledged long-term support of Helen's Pink Sky Foundation, with its NTT IndyCar Series cars driven by Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong carrying the foundation's decal in every race until a cure is found for Batten disease. Tim Meyer, Meyer Shank Racing's chief operating officer, is Helen's godfather and a foundation board member. 'We're going to tell Helen's story everywhere we race and do our part to help this amazing little girl,' Meyer said in a news release. 'Helen is so full of life and we just find her courage so inspiring. What she now faces is evil, it breaks my heart to see a child have to take on so much. We're going to fight like hell to help her and her family in any way we can.' According to the foundation website, Batten disease is a rare, genetically inherited disorder that belongs to a group of progressive degenerative neurometabolic disorders known as the neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs). NCLs are characterized by genetic mutations that disrupt cells' ability to dispose of waste, resulting in the abnormal accumulation of certain proteins and lipids (fats) within the nerve cells of the brain and other tissues of the body. This results in progressive neurological impairment, including developmental regression, seizures, blindness, behavior changes, and dementia. There are many forms of NCL. Mutations in at least eight different genes are known to cause Batten disease. Helen has been diagnosed with Late Infantile Batten disease (CLN2) caused by a deficiency of the enzyme TPP1, which is responsible for breaking down certain proteins in the lysosomes. The different variants of the disease are distinguishable from one another in part by the age at which symptoms appear. Symptoms can appear as early as six months and as late as 43 years old. Children affected by CLN2, like Helen, typically see symptoms between the ages two and four and include seizures, coordination challenges, progressive vision loss, and developmental regression. Although CLN2 can be treated with an enzyme replacement therapy called Brineura (BioMarin) that dramatically slows progression of the disease, there is no cure. Batten disease is inherited through an autosomal recessive trait. This means that the same abnormal gene for the same trait is inherited from both parents. Given the disease's rarity, it is often misdiagnosed initially as epilepsy or eye disease. The accumulation of common symptoms and, ultimately, a genetic test is the only way to get a definitive diagnosis.
Associated Press
09-04-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
Helen's Pink Sky Foundation Launches to Accelerate Research for Batten Disease and Provide Support to Affected Families
EDEN PRAIRIE, MN / ACCESS Newswire / April 9, 2025 / Today, the Born and Schneider family announced the launch of Helen's Pink Sky Foundation, a new nonprofit dedicated to accelerating research, raising awareness, and improving the lives of those affected by Batten disease. The foundation is committed to funding groundbreaking research aimed at both finding a cure for Batten disease and supporting patients and their families with essential resources. Batten disease is a rare, genetically inherited disorder that affects approximately 2 to 4 children in every 100,000 births. Part of a group of progressive neurodegenerative conditions known as neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs), the disease causes devastating and life-altering symptoms such as developmental regression, seizures, blindness, and dementia. Though rare, its impact on families is unimaginable-and Helen's Pink Sky Foundation is stepping forward to change that. Helen Born is a three-year old, happy and cheerful toddler. She became the inspiration behind the foundation after her diagnosis with Late Infantile Batten Disease (CLN2), which causes severe and rapidly progressing symptoms including seizures, vision loss, and cognitive decline. While therapies like Enzyme Replacement Therapy (ERT) can slow progression and improve quality of life, there is still no cure. Through fundraising and donations, Helen's Pink Sky Foundation is committed to supporting world-class scientists and researchers working on gene, cellular, enzyme replacement, and small molecule therapies. By accelerating the development of these breakthrough treatments, the foundation aims not only to improve the quality and length of life for those affected by Batten disease, but ultimately to help find a cure. Equally important is our mission to support families impacted by this devastating and fast-progressing disease by raising awareness, providing essential resources, and building a strong community that drives earlier diagnoses and fuels continued research momentum. 'As Helen's parents, we can't accept Enzyme Replacement Therapy (ERT) being the only FDA approved option for helping children with CLN2. While we're thankful for ERT's ability to possibly slow progression, the end result is not something that we can imagine or accept. We are determined to fight for our sweet Helen, fund research and find a cure for CLN2 and Batten Disease. We will not let a day go by without a fight as that is what Helen deserves!' said Dan and Stephanie Born. 'Time is not on our side, we need to act quickly to move some of this promising research forward now.' 'We're committed to helping families like ours who are battling Batten disease. This is not just about finding a cure, but also about improving the lives of those who are living with this devastating disease. Today, we stand up in unity to take back what Batten rips away from the afflicted families and we start our long fight to bring back smiles, bike rides, giggles, and all the magical things that childhood should be filled with, " said Nick Schneider, Helen's uncle, a founding member of the Helen's Pink Sky Foundation, and President and CEO of Arctic Wolf, a Minnesota-based cybersecurity company. By supporting critical research and offering practical resources, we hope to change the future for those affected by Batten disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. For more information on the Helen's Pink Sky Foundation, how you can help, or to make a donation, please visit our website at Helen's Pink Sky Foundation is committed to advocacy, research and care for Batten Disease & CLN2. Through our platform, you can stay up to date on Helen's journey, contribute to the cause, and be a part of our growing community dedicated to supporting affected families. Together we will beat this. For press inquiries: P: 202-340-0518
