Around The World

Charged for kissing in public

An India couple who had just married and were waiting in a local Metro for their lawyer to bring the marriage certificate, were charged by the Dwarack police under the obscenity act.

When the case came before the Court the judge told the police, “It is inconceivable how, even if one were to take what is stated in the FIR to be true, an expression of love by a young married couple would attract offence or obscenity and trigger the coercive process of law.”

The judge pointed out that there was insufficient evidence and postponed the case and also told the police to be prepared to answer the charge made by the couple against the police for harassment.

The couple was picked up by the Dwaraka police when they were found “sitting in an objectionable position near a Metro pillar and kissing each other due to which passersby were feeling bad.”

Despite protests from the couple that they were just married and were waiting for their lawyer, the couple was taken to the police station from where they were released on police bail.

When these facts were revealed in court the judge observed that the police had neglected to observe under the Obscenity Act as well as normal procedure to record how they came to be a public nuisance.

In their petition to the court the couple pointed out that they had been married last September at an Arya Samaj temple ceremony without the consent of their parents and decided to live separately until they got this marriage certificate which they had entrusted to their lawyer.

Shoe collector

If Imelda Marcos was still around the place she would be having a male rival in her collecto-mania. The male is Ramalinga Raju, ex Satyam Computer boss and multi-billionaire.

He has over a thousand suits, 310 belts and 321 pairs of shoes. His interest in star gazing has led him to buy a telescope costing over ten million rupees which probably no other Indian home has.

He has fabulous investments in overseas property. He has palatial mansions in 63 countries acquired as trophies. Right now he is locked up until he answers a few questions. Meanwhile, Indian readers are asking whether it is a crime to show your opulence and whether he will walk out a free man as in many other cases of fraud in India.

Ragging a punishable offence

The Indian courts have taken a strong view that ragging in all educational institutions must end.

The Supreme Court has accepted the findings of a committee that was appointed by it to go into the question of ragging that goes on in educational institutions and has entrusted the task of seeing that it does not occur to the authorities in the relevant educational institutions.

The court said educational institutions will have to take ‘urgent action’ on receiving information on incidents of ragging and “if a student is prima facie found guilty of indulging in ragging he/she would be immediately suspended pending the inquiry”.

It should be clearly laid down in the schools’ prospectuses the punishment to be meted out to those students violating this code of behaviour.

The Courts intervention is timely. Ragging had spread throughout the country to various educational bodies and was about to become one of those ‘fashionable’ things to adopt.

Now it will be clear to the authorities at all educational institutions that the courts are telling them to use an ‘iron hand’ to curb ragging.

- Roving Eye