Library · Part J: Anecdotes, Records & Legends
22 entries. The first 5 are free to read; all 22 are yours with Plus.
1979–1983
An open letter that changed rape law
The Supreme Court's acquittal of two policemen in the Mathura custodial rape case (1979) prompted four law teachers — Upendra Baxi, Lotika Sarkar, Vasudha Dhagamwar and Raghunath Kelkar — to write an open letter to the Chief Justice. It galvanised India's women's movement and led to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 1983, which recognised custodial rape and shifted the burden of proof on consent in certain cases.
1970s–1980s
Dowry deaths become a crime
Protests by women's groups against "bride burning" and dowry deaths in the late 1970s led Parliament to add Section 498A (cruelty by husband or relatives) to the IPC in 1983, and Section 304B (dowry death) in 1986, along with amendments to the Dowry Prohibition Act 1961 and the Evidence Act.
1990s–2005
MKSS in Rajasthan
The Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), led by Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey and Shankar Singh, organised public hearings (jan sunwais) in rural Rajasthan in the 1990s to expose corruption in public works using official records, and held a famous dharna at Beawar in 1996. The campaign led to state RTI laws and the Right to Information Act 2005.
2011–2013
Jan Lokpal
Led by Anna Hazare, the India Against Corruption movement demanded a strong "Jan Lokpal" to investigate corruption; Hazare's fasts at Jantar Mantar and the Ramlila Maidan in 2011 drew huge crowds. Parliament passed the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act in December 2013.
2012–2013
A nation on the streets
The gang rape and murder in Delhi in December 2012 brought thousands of young people onto the streets. Within weeks the government set up the Justice J.S. Verma Committee, which received about 80,000 suggestions and reported in 29 days. The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2013 widened the definition of rape, added offences such as stalking, voyeurism and acid attack, and enhanced punishments.
