Maneka Gandhi finds a solution for men complaining of fake 498 (A) cases
- Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi said that she has been receiving several complains from men who claim that fake cases have been registered against them.
- Expressing concern, she directed the ministry to open a "window" for the men having such complaints.
- Nevertheless, she clarifies that the focus of the ministry would be women and children.
FollowAlmost reiterating the SC rule on dowry cases, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi said that she has been receiving several complains from men who claim that fake cases have been registered against them. Worried about the numbers of such complains and allegations, she directed her department to provide a "window" to such men.
According to a report in the New Indian Express, Gandhi wrote a letter to NCW chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam on Thursday saying, "I have been receiving a large number of complaints from men who claim they have been falsely implicated in cases of domestic violence, dowry, rape etc. I am particularly concerned with the fact that this voice has become more and more loud in the last few months." Thus, instructing her to open a window in the online complaint system of the NCW.
However, she also made it clear that will not ignore the ministry's responsibilities towards genuine cases of harassment against women and the fact that the "window" could also be a way of abusing the rights bestowed on men. She said, "Yet we need to do a dipstick test to figure out the reality to eradicate any frivolity."
While she agrees that the ministries concern would be to first address the grievances of women, she says it also has the responsibility to oversee that the laws created to protect women's rights is not misused. She further added, "The receipt of the complaint must be linked to proper identification through Aadhaar and a valid mobile number. Due safeguards may (be) inbuilt to ensure that this window does not become an instrument of counter complaints by men who have cases filed against them by their wives/ other women.”
However, NCW officials are not too happy with the directive as they believe that this is going against the very principle it stands on. The NCW was first set up as a statutory body in January 1992 under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990 and does not fall under the control of the ministry. Speaking to the media, an NCW official said, "Due safeguards may (be) inbuilt to ensure that this window does not become an instrument of counter complaints by men who have cases filed against them by their wives/ other women. This move will leave the commission open to litigation, which would mean litigation against the government."
