India behind 161 nations in ratifying treaty on torture

May 7, 2017

New Delhi, May 7: India stands behind 161 nations, including Pakistan, as it is yet to ratify the 30-year-old United Nations' Convention Against Torture by making a law on it despite signing it way back in 1997. It may sound bizarre, but India is among the only nine countries worldwide which are yet to ratify this crucial convention, an essential condition for a signatory state to ratify the international human rights treaty.

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This fact has been taken strong note of by the Supreme Court which has asked the government why it was not making at least a "good faith commitment" about its intention to legislate in the matter. "We do understand that the legislative process can take time, but tell us why can't you (Centre) make a 'good faith commitment' on the law before us," a bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar said. "This is an extremely important issue in the national interest and moreover, there is no conflict," the bench, also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and S K Kaul, said.

The remarks were made when Congress leader and former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar pointed out that India was among the only nine nations left in the world which have not yet ratified the treaty despite signing it. 'The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment', also known as United Nations Convention against Torture, is an international human rights treaty aimed to prevent torture and other acts of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment around the world.

Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the Centre, sought some time on the ground that some states are yet to be consulted before a fresh bid is made to legislate. The top court said "it is nice to say that we are committed to the treaty, but there has to be a law". The Solicitor General had referred to the fact that the Bill on torture was moved in 2010 in Lok Sabha by the erstwhile UPA-II regime, a process in which Kumar, former law minister and senior advocate, was a part. But the legislation had lapsed.

To this, the bench had said, "it has to be non-partisan. This is an important issue." The government had earlier told the bench that Kumar cannot seek a direction to the Centre to legislate as the issue fell under the domain of the Executive and the Legislature. The senior Congress leader, in his PIL, has sought directions to frame an effective law on the issue and empower agencies like NHRC with necessary enforcement capabilities and mechanisms to implement its orders and directions.

The convention was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on December 10, 1984 and came into force on June 26, 1987 after being ratified by 20 nations. India, which became a signatory on October 14, 1997, is yet to ratify the global human rights treaty, ratified by over 160 nations like Pakistan and Afghanistan, as it has not yet enacted the law on torture.

The Convention needs nations to take effective steps to prevent torture in any territory under their jurisdiction and forbids them to send citizens to any country where they believe that the transported persons may be tortured.

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News Network
March 16,2024

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New Delhi: The 2024 general election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases from April 19, Chief Election Commissioner Rajeev Kumar said today, announcing the largest democratic exercise in the world. Results will be announced on June 4.

The seven phases: 
April 19
April 26
May 7
May 13
May 20
May 25
June 1

Simultaneous election for Lok Sabha and assembly will be held in four states -- Sikkim, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Andhra.  

By-elections will also be held for 26 assembly seats across multiple states, including Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

Mr Kumar, announcing the dates, sent out a strong message on fake news on social media, saying political parties should ensure responsible social media behaviour -- "verify before you amplify".

"Fake news will be dealt with severely as per existent laws.. Section 79 (3)(B) of the IT Act empowers nodal officers in each state to remove unlawful content," he said.

The other strong message was on violation of model code in terms of hate speeches. "There should be issue-based campaign, no hate speeches, no speeches along caste or religious lines, no criticism of anyone's personal lives," he said.

The media must clarify when they carry political adverts, those cannot masquerade as news, he said. Individual messages regarding this would be sent to the candidates, he added.

The commission has employed 2,100 advisors to keep an eye on these issues and strong action will be taken regarding this, he said.

Voters above the age of 85 years and persons with disabilities, with 40 per cent disability can vote from home, Mr Kumar said. Around 82 lakh voter are above the age of 85, he said.

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March 21,2024

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New Delhi, Mar 21: Election Commission (EC) on Thursday directed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of Narendra Modi-led government to put an end to bulk WhatsApp messages labelled 'Viksit Bharat Sampark.' It has also sought a compliance report immediately from the ministry.

EC had received several complaints that such messages are still being delivered on citizens’ phones despite the announcement of Lok Sabha elections and the model code of conduct (MCC) entering into force.

In response, the govt informed the commission that although the letters were sent out before MCC came into force, some of them could have possibly been delivered to recipients with a delay because of systemic and network limitations.

In the past few days, several WhatsApp users have received messages from 'Viksit Bharat Sampark' seeking feedback and suggestions from the public. 

The message comes with a PDF that has a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioning government schemes like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Ayushman Bharat, Matru Vandana Yojana, etc, and seeking suggestions from the citizens over government initiatives and schemes.

The letter which addresses users as 'my dear family members' had sparked political controversy. Congress has called the PDF file attached with the message a ‘political propaganda’.

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News Network
March 27,2024

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The Enforcement Directorate has filed a money laundering case against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter Veena Vijayan, her IT company and some others to probe a case of alleged illegal payments made by a private mineral firm to her and the company, official sources said Wednesday.

The agency has registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and is expected to summon the people involved, the sources said.

The ED case has been booked after taking cognisance of a complaint filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), an investigative arm of the Union corporate affairs ministry, they said.

The case stems from an Income Tax Department investigation that alleged that a private company called Cochin Minerals And Rutile Ltd (CMRL), made an illegal payment of Rs 1.72 crore to Veena's company-- Exalogic Solutions-- during 2018 to 2019, even though the IT firm had not provided any service to the company.

The Karnataka High Court had last month dismissed a plea filed by Exalogic Solutions against the probe initiated by the SFIO.

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