HM Amit Shah’s new bills promises to overhaul India’s criminal justice system. A notable provision introduced in these bills addresses the issue of physical intimacy by deceitful perpetrators. This provision aims to criminalize hiding of religion or/and adopting a fake identity to engage in sexual relationships with unsuspecting individuals. This provision is a covert warning issued by Amit Shah to the rising instances of Love Jihad in the nation.
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Bills aim to replace the existing IPC, CPC, and Indian Evidence Act. The landmark legislation against Love Jihad perpetrators comes under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which focuses mainly on the crimes against women and children
Amit Shah’s Laws Warn Sexual Predators and Covertly Criminalizes Love Jihad
In his speech the Lok Sabha, Amit Shah stated that BJP and PM Modi are introducing a landmark legislature to criminalize initiation of sexual relations by promising marriage, employment, or promotion. However, the hidden jewel in this bill is that it also criminalizes the adoption of a false identity or religion to develop physical intimacy. BJP members applauded this legislature and its intent in the Lok Sabha.
This legislature warns sexual predators of criminal action of consensual intimacy coerced through promises of gain. Moreover, this provision covertly addresses the modus operandi of “Love Jihad” propagators. The introduction of this legislature proves that the BJP is listening to the woes and worries of the Hindus of India.
Why is this Legislature a Unique Step to Protect Hindus?
The ‘peaceful’ community’s actions are well-known and well publicized. Love Jihad is not a figment of a Hindu’s active imagination, it is a nightmare of the Hindu community. However, there are no specific laws to prevent this strategy of luring victims to the ‘peaceful’ religion after exploiting their emotions and engaging in physical intimacy. Hindu girls are enamored by the fake persona of men with this radical mindset. They are unknowingly duped by their fake identities and false promises. When the truth is revealed, these women have already been exploited in body and mind by these radical ‘peaceful’ elements of India.
Shame or fear of repercussions forces these women to turn their backs on family and embrace the ‘peaceful’ religion to get social recognition with their abusers.Â
Existing laws penalized establishing sexual relationships only under the pretext of marriage. There are no explicit provisions for other instances of duping victims by concealing or faking identity and initiating physical intimacy. This area is an ambiguous zone left at the discretion of the courts. Therefore, the convictions in such cases vary from state to state and judge to judge. Thus, a legislature specifically designed to protect women in these instances addresses the rise of Love Jihad cases in India. The legislature aims to protect Hindus from the deceitful clutches of the ‘peacefuls’.Â
Other Suggested Important Legislatures to Protect Women
Amit Shah has stood up as the protector of women even before ‘Raksha Bandhan’ knocked on India’s doors this year. He has introduced other legislators in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita that protect women from predators. Additionally, his new bills aim to mete out strict justice on behalf of women in India. Following is a short review of how the new legislature protects women:
- It criminalizes pressurizing individuals into physical intimacy.
- It criminalizes duping individuals into sexual activity by concealing/faking identity.
- It allows a 20-year jail sentence or life imprisonment for gang rape participants.
- It allows death penalty for rape of minors.
- It allows a 20-year jail sentence or life imprisonment for mob lynching participants.
These new laws empower women, and in some cases men, to report and rebel against Love Jihad proponents and Sexual Predators. They also enable women to feel safe in the workplace or in society at large. Moreover, they explicitly recognize heinous anti-social acts, like gang rape or minor rape, as offenses that should lead to a more severe conviction.
Thus, these changes introduced by the new bills prove that PM Modi knows the pulse of the nation. Moreover, he sympathizes and recognizes the steps the government needs to take to address the needs of Hindu victims. Therefore, the BJP administration is ready to take the required constitutional steps to ensure that the perpetrators get punished to the largest extent of the law. However, it remains to be seen how the opposition parties, that are sometimes united and sometimes divided by the dots, welcome these changes and legislatures.