Do you have a criminal mind? Would you like to have your enemy 'bumped off' by a hit-and-run accident? Soon you can do many such activities, thanks to the amended Criminal Procedure Code Bill passed by the Lok Sabha on December 23, 2008. This Bill was passed along with seven other Bills within 17 minutes without debate or discussion. Why waste time for such frivolities! This Bill prevents the police from arresting a person who is accused of committing a crime that carries a sentence of seven years in prison. Offenses like attempt to culpable homicide, voluntarily causing grievous hurt, outraging the modesty of a woman or cheating (Sec. 420 of IPC) belong to this category. All these offenses attract a prison sentence of less than seven years. The Seven Year Itch, indeed!
In such cases, the police will issue a 'notice of appearance' to the accused, who will be expected to 'cooperate' with the investigating agency. Only if the accused fails to respond to the notice of appearance and does not 'cooperate' with the investigation, the police will think of arresting him or her. This gives the accused the time to destroy all evidence and to get away as far as possible from the police. "We can see to it later", will be his or her intention. The Law does not any longer have a "long arm". This will also help the accused to 'negotiate terms' (read bribes) with the police so that he can go scotfree.
The criminal can choose a safer mode of operation. Instead of killing a person straightaway, he can attempt to eliminate him by a hit-and run accident. Many such 'accidents' happen on the roads of Delhi, Mumbai and other cities. In this case, the prison sentence is less than seven years. Instead of committing rape, a rapist can threaten or induce a woman to have sex with him. This offence (Sec. 376 B) carries a sentence of only five years, while the sentence for rape can be for ten or more years. The person who commits this offence cannot be arrested rightaway. Later, he can blackmail or threaten the woman to drop the charges levelled against him. He can get help from a few politicians or even from the police, who want the number of crimes committed in their state at a low level. "Our state has the lowest rank in crimes" is the cry of the politicians.
The criminal-minded can have a "Ready Reckoner" of the IPC to find out which are the offences that carry a sentence of less than seven years and commit them with impunity.
I was under the impression that our Members of Parliament are intelligent and learned persons who want to legislate for the welfare of common people. When so many debates and discussions are going about the activitiries of terrorists - "stateless actors"from another country they may be -, how safe are we from our own criminals?
4 comments:
Absolutely amazing! Why should we treat a criminal leniently? Perhaps this is for the benefit of the politicians in India. Already they are in nexus with the police and other shady businessmen.
The merciless (I won't say brutal - animals have better sense) on girls in Mangalore has been shown in all the TV channels. Under the new C.P.C.Bill, it may become impossible to arrest these criminals. As Archana says, this amendment has been made to benefit the political goondas.
Its common knowledge that politicians and criminals are in "unholy matrimony". This is just one more way of ensuring that the political class can exercise its powers on ordinary powerless masses for time to come. This is absolute regression. I think the time has come to rewrite archaic laws that are full of loopholes and don't meet modern day justice needs.
This shows the "Non-application of Mind" by our M.P.s. They should have debated and discussed the issue thoroughly before approving the Bill. Wittingly or non-wittingly they are creating a Frankenstein Monster that would prevent the police and other authorities from taking timely action. Perhaps this measure suits the political classes to plan their unlawful activities carefully.
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