Very soon calling people of northeastern origin by “derogatory” names will be come a non-bailable offence with a jail term of up to five years.
The Home Ministry today decided to amend the IPC to strengthen the legal framework against racial discrimination and had informed the Delhi High Court of the same.
The Ministry of Home Affairs is in process of finalising a comprehensive bill for insertion of new sections of 153c and 509A in Indian Penal Code (IPC) which will be introduced in Parliament after inter-ministerial consultation.
– Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath
The Home Ministry accepted a recommendation of the M K Bezbaruah committee constituted in February 2014, following a spate of attacks against people from the region living in Delhi and the Additional Solicitor General (ASG), Sanjay Jain, handed over a copy of the report on behalf of MHA and other Ministries.
ASG Jain said, facilities for legal assistance, special police initiatives, bonding power of sports and educating the people about the North East have been also taken care of apart from the insertion of new sections in the IPC.
The proposed Section 153C makes imputations and assertions prejudicial to human dignity and makes words, both spoken and written, or signs attempting to discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, or indulging in activity intended to use criminal force or violence against a particular race, a non-bailable offence punishable with imprisonment up to five years with fine.
The Centre had set up the Bezbaruah committee after Nido Tania, a 19-year-old student from Arunachal Pradesh was killed in an alleged racial attack in Lajpat Nagar locality in South Delhi in January 2014.
(With Inputs from PTI)
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