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| Cabinet Sub Committee okays draft bill to check domestic violence | | Cheers on Women's Day | |
EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, Mar 7: As women across the country have a reason to celebrate their Day with an added joy of a historic Reservation Bill being tabled in the Parliament tomorrow, the women of J&K state too have the something good in offing in the shape of a legal weapon that will protect them from the cruelty inflicted through violence at private spaces. The Cabinet Sub committee formed recently to finalize the Bill has submitted its report to the government which is now all set to table during the current session of Assembly.
" After discussion on various aspects of the provisions of draft Bill, we have finalized the Bill which will be soon tabled in the House……we have taken care of all the apprehensions and concerns as also tried to accommodate certain recommendations that came from some quarters to make this Bill effective and relevant to the socio-economic and cultural set up of the state", said AR Rather, Finance Minister who headed the cabinet sub committee. The other members of the five member committee which held its final meeting few days back included Law Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar, Social Welfare Minister Sakina Itoo, who happens to be the lone women member in coalition government's cabinet, PHE Minister Taj Mohi-u-Din and Agriculturte Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir.
The need for setting up of this committee arose after the legislation came up in the cabinet meeting recently for approval . Since there were some different opinions over certain aspects of some provisions, it was decided that a sub committee would go through various social, economic and religious aspects of the bill thoroughly before finalzing the final Bill. The purpose was that in order to facilitate the smooth passage of this important Bill in the House, there should be no loophole left in it that can leave any chance for hinderance or objection by the opposition parties.
The Bill that has been named as J&K Protection of Women from Domestic violence Bill, 2010.Even as the main provisions of Bill have largely been adopted from the Central Act of 2005, sources said there will be certain added provisions to match the the socio-religious set up in the state.
Sources also said that the members of the cabinet sub committee studied well and discussed certain provisions in the Central Act that were in contradictory propositions in a particular religious set up and it was in context of these contraventions, due consideration has been given to the sentiments and spirits of the socio-religious set up existing in the state vis-à-vis women and their status in the society. It is in this context that some women's groups, advocates and activists have been strongly advocating that the loopholes in the Central Act needed to be plugged ahead of framing the Act in the state with some amendments keeping in view different social and religious set up in the state.
Under the new law, however, the government has taken care that there would be separate provision for protection officers who would be given powers to settle the cases of women subject to cruelty or violence by her husband or his relatives besides addressing other relevant concerns.
As the state has been witnessing rise in domestic violence cases primarily on account of demand for dowry , harassment by the relatives of the husband at her in laws palce, this Bill is going to check violence as also protect her rights to a great extent legally.
It is pertinent to mention that aeven as domestic violence is widely prevalent, it has remained invisible in public domain. Even though this is an offence under Section 498-A of RPC, the civil law doesn't however address the violence in entirety, said the Finance Minister adding that it was in this contest government deemd it proper to enact a law to provide for a remedy under the civil law which is intended to protect the women from being victims of Domestic Violence in the society.
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