social empowerment, communalism, regionalism and secularism

Question 1

NCRB data on riots (2018 vs 2017)? sedition cases?

Answer 1

• > decline frm 78000 cases under ‘Offences against Public Tranquility’ in 2017 to 76.8 Thousand in 2018
• >political riots fell by 25%, communal riots fell by 30% (though offences relating to promoting enmity betn difeerent grps hv been consistently rising and more than doubled in 2016), caste conflicts too declined by 20%, and so did agrarian riots
• > Riots over Industrial disputes rose almost 2.5X in 2018; similarly water disputes 2X
• > Offences under prevention of damage to Public Property Act, hv declined by 10%.
• > No. of sedition cases regtd doublled in 2018 frn 2016., with JH having the most.

Question 2

IPC provisions wrt ‘offences related to religion’?

Answer 2

Indian Penal Code has a chapter on “Offences Relating to Religion”. It is meant to ensure that people in this multi-religious country respect each other’s faith.

Originally, it contained four sections (295-98) the last of which spoke of the offence of “uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings of any person.”

A new section (295A) was added in 1927 to lay down penalties for “deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.”