Make separate ministry for men, demands NGO

Demanding ‘true gender equality’, men rights activists asserted that the gender laws in the country were ‘heavily misused’ by  women and demanded a separate ministry for men, besides drastic changes in the legal system governing the disputes between husbands and wives.

The ‘outpouring’ from the men rights activists came during a two-day national conference in Agra where 136 activists from different parts of the country participated.

‘Gender equality’

“India lacks true gender equality. The gender laws are heavily misused by the women,” said Niladri Shekhar Das, general secretary of Gender Human Rights Society, a voluntary organisation advocating ‘gender equality’.

“Whatever women say is taken as gospel truth. It is as if they are like Raja Harish Chandra (a king who, it is said, never lied in his life),” Das told Deccan Herald.

Das said the conviction rate in cases pertaining to cruelty against the daughters-in-law was a mere 16 per cent. “It is quite clear that the rest 84 per cent people, who are innocent, have to spend years behind the bars,” he said.

“It is sheer wastage of money. The men lose their prime years for no fault of theirs,” Das said as he demanded scrapping of  section 498A of the Indian Penal Code, which says whoever, being the husband or the relative of the husband of a woman, subjects such woman to cruelty, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine.

The offence is cognisable, non-compoundable and non-bailable.

Das also said the activists demanded that the term ‘spouse’ should be used in cases involving husband and wife and in cases involving  men and women, the ‘person’ should be used.
He said as many as 47,000 women were sent behind bars in cases pertaining to cruelty against the women.