The two girls from Palghar who were arrested for their comments on Facebook – a clear misuse of the law.
Remember the shocking episode where two girls from Palghar were arrested by the Thane Police for their comments on Facebook. Ever since then, social media hasn’t been the fun, free-for-all that we are used to, since many social media users have been treading cautiously on the world wide web. We don’t want to get arrested for clicking ‘Like’ on some friend’s status message, do we?
But now, users may soon get some relief from all those pent up opinions inside them waiting to burst out. There has been considerable pressure on the government to repeal the Information Technology Act, Section 66a, which gives the police powers to do such arrests. Finally, Modi sarkar has relented and intervened with the Supreme Court to dilute some of the laws which allow the authorities to misuse it.
Rather than knuckling down to pressure, this is a really a shrewd move and some pretty long term thinking by the prime minister to expand his following. After all, this is a PM who focuses big time on social media (Twitter and FB) to convey his message. This medium wouldn’t work very well, if people are muzzled and made to keep their mouths shut to the extent of driving users away from social media (although that seems impossible to think of now).
We would all be very thankful to Prime Minister Ji, if he could intervene to repeal some more bizzare and draconian laws like this, while he is at it.
In the meantime, take a look at some of the really bizzare laws for women in existence around the world that will surely make your eyes pop out!
1.An evening in Paris without pants: Would you believe this!! Paris, the fashion capital of the world and in the country where Denims were invented, does not allow women to wear pants. That’s right, until last year, practically every woman in Paris was breaking the law all her life by wearing pants. This weird law, dating back to the days of the French Revolution in 1789, was abolished only in 2013. Imagine that!
2. No more riding astride bikes in Indonesia: This one seems to have been taken from us Indians. Although we have no such law, remember all those aunties back then, sitting side-saddle behind men on scooters. That was to make their sarees behave of course! But here, lawmakers in the Lhokseumawe district of Aceh, Indonesia, passed a law in January 2013, banning women from rising astride (one leg on each side, like riding a horse) on motorbikes. Given that motorcycles are the main mode of transport in much of Southeast Asia, which means that many women spend the majority of their day astride a motorbike, you can see how big a problem this is. What’s more, NO TOUCHING THE MAN SITTING IN FRONT OF YOU!
3. Women Drivers in Saudi Arabia: This one is a familiar law, that has recently been featured much in the news. But the reason for banning women from driving cars will baffle you. According to conservative Saudi cleric Sheikh Saleh al-Lohaidan, driving ‘harms women’s ovaries’! Eh? Come again? Oddly enough, women are not banned from riding motorbikes, if accompanied by a male companion.
4. Driving in Housecoats: Thou Shalt only driveth when Thee is fully dressed! ..says an old Californian law. The law basically forbids women from driving in housecoats. One can only imagine that perhaps the authorities want to prevent a fashion faux pas from taking place. Or to prevent mothers from dropping their kids off to school in housecoats, thus embarassing them. This sound familiar to you girls?
5. Stay grounded on Sundays: This one is the mother of all things bizzare. The Florida Code of Laws prohibits unmarried women from parachuting on Sundays, a stricture that is probably news to a number of sky-diving loving ladies. Single women in Florida better not be planning any sky-diving trips for the weekends. Sundays are strictly for sabbath and introspection. Maybe even puzzle out why such a law even exists!
Image Courtesy : Reuters, Wiki Commons
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