National
HC to hear women, men groups’ plea on marital rape from Tuesday
New Delhi, Aug 28 (IANS) A men’s rights group on Monday approached the Delhi High Court seeking to oppose women’s rights groups, which has challenged the exception in law that protects a husband from being tried for the rape of his wife.
A division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal said it would start hearing from Tuesday the pleas of both women’s rights groups and men’s right groups, who are contending against each other on the contentious issue of India’s marital rape laws .
The bench has been hearing petitions filed by NGO RIT Foundation, All India Democratic Women’s Association and a marital rape victim, challenging the exception to rape under Section 375 and Section 376B as unconstitutional.
The pleas challenge the Indian Penal Code’s Section 375, saying it does not consider sexual intercourse of a man with his wife as rape. Section 375, which defines “rape”, also contains the exception provision which states that the rape law would not apply to assault or sexual intercourse by a husband with his wife over 15 years of age. Section 376B deals with sexual intercourse by a man with his wife during separation.
Seeking to be made a party in the case filed by the women’s rights groups, Men Welfare Trust, an NGO based in Delhi, contended that the existing laws were “very much capable of dealing with the cases of sexual abuse of women”.
The NGO said: “There is no need to either bring a fresh law to deal with it nor there is a requirement to withdraw the protection granted to husbands under Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code.”
Men’s plea argued that “the sexual abuse in a domestic relationship should not be termed as rape”.
On the other hand, one of the petitions filed by the women’s group has also challenged Section 198B of Criminal Procedure Code, which says that “no court shall take cognizance of an offence punishable under Section 376B of IPC where the persons are in a marital relationship”.
Earlier, the central government had told the high court that if marital rape was brought under law, “the entire family system will be under great stress”.
–IANS
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National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.