Sorry! And thank you, Vikramji!
On Friday, 28 November 2014 5:10 PM, "Aditya adit.b...@gmail.com
[gay_bombay]" <gay_bombay@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Hi Bloot,Vikram Doctor wrote this, not me!!
Thank you & Best Regards,आधन्यवाद तथा आपको प्रणाम,
Aditya Bondyopadhyayआदित्य बन्द्योपाध्याय
(Sent from my iPhone/iPad)(मेरे आईफ़ोन/आईपैड से भेजा गया)
On 26-Nov-2014, at 10:38 am, "Bloot Fontaine blutfonta...@yahoo.co.in
[gay_bombay]" <gay_bombay@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Aditya, you are brilliant!
On Monday, 24 November 2014 12:12 PM, "Vikram D vg...@yahoo.co.uk
[gay_bombay]" <gay_bombay@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
When the Supreme Court upheld Section 377 one of the immediate reactions
was that this was a shocking case of the court empowering blackmailers.
Throughout its history S.377 - and similar laws across the world - has been
used extremely successfully to extort money from gay men who are too scared of
prosecution under the law to fight back.
This is exactly what we are now seeing. From across the country cases are
coming of queer people being blackmailed or harassed by threat or sometimes the
actual use of S.377. Just today I have heard the most startling case where a
businessman gave Rs10 lakhs because he got a letter saying that the person
sending it had video evidence of him having sex with other men.
One reaction that such stories sometimes get is that people who give in to
blackmail deserve what they get - that (a) they should not have been stupid
enough to get into the situation in the first place and (b) they should not
give in, but call the blackmailer's bluff. Blackmail depends on the victim
being afraid, and if you are not, it can't work.
But saying this doesn't allow for the extreme loneliness that drives people to
take risks, and yes, stupid risks too at times. Yes, you should be careful who
you pick up and where and what you do, but its always easier to say this in
hindsight. And it is also easy to be courageous when its not happening to you.
When you are the one who opens an email or letter and finds not just the threat
of your privacy being exposed, but the knowledge that someone is malign enough
to want to do it, you can feel the bottom falling out of your world.
This still does not mean one should give in to blackmail. It may be tempting to
just give the money and hope it all goes away, but it never does. Blackmail is
an addiction, and quite lucrative too, and blackmailers very often repeatedly
keep coming back for more. And even if they don't the victim is always afraid
that they, or someone else, will.
So if this situation happens to you, or to someone you know, the first thing to
tell them is to find a way not to be afraid. If they have family from who they
fear exposure, they should ask themselves one hard fact - in the long run will
the family mind more that one of them is gay or that he is giving away Rs10
lakhs, and probably even more over time. Whatever people might feel about
homosexuality, they usually don't want to lose a lot of money!
The second thing to tell yourself, or them, is that S.377 is not easy to
prosecute. This is why the police actually does not use it very much, but
prefers to use the threat of it, or more easily implementable and vague laws
like 'obscene conduct' in public or drinking without a permit (which is what
most people who are arrested at parties are usually prosecuted under, which is
why responsible party goers get permits, and party organisers arrange for them).
Proving S.377 without a doubt really requires a medical examination and this is
not going to be easy to organise. Video evidence might count too - though of
course there are all the arguments about video being tampered with which
politicians routinely trot out! But this is one good argument not to record
yourself having sex, however much this turns you on! At least one S.377 case
which has been going on for a while involves recording that a husband made with
his male lover which his wife got her hands on.
And finally, we actually have protection from the same source that threatens us
- the Indian Penal Code. Buried away in IPC are two sections, S.388 and S.389
which state that attempt to blackmail using sections of IPC as a threat, is as
much of a crime as going against those sections of IPC! This perhaps recalls
some residual wisdom among people, like Lord Macauley who drew up IPC, that the
law can be misused and it is best to provide remedy against it.
This is what Sections 388 and 389 do, and they specifically mention S.377.
S.388 says that whoever extorts money by putting someone in fear of being
accused of a grave crime is liable to be punished severely, and S.389 says that
whoever even threatens someone with a view to extortion, will be punished
severely, and both of them end by saying "and, if the offence be punishable
under section 377 of this Code, may be punished with 1[imprisonment for life].
It is really quite remarkable and worth reading:Section 388 in The Indian Penal
CodeSection 389 in The Indian Penal Code
Somehow in drafting IPC, the framers did acknowledge that S.377 in particular
was liable to be abused, and hence they tried to provide some protection. Of
course, the best solution is not to prosecute people for consensual same sex
relations, but at least this attempt at balance does exist.
The problem is that these are obscure sections of IPC and few people, even
lawyers know about them. They are not easy to use because the victim, in going
to the police to implement the law, has to hope that the police won't or don't
have enough evidence to prosecute him for S.377. I do have just enough faith in
the police that, if someone goes to them with knowledge of the law and a good
lawyer, they probably will go after the real crime of blackmail, but it is a
bit of a gamble.
Still, the law has value in just existing. Sections 388 and 389 acknowledge
that extortion is a terrible crime and that those who try to do it should be
made aware of that. And in doing this, it gives people the basis on which they
should stop being afraid and that is always the first and main defence against
blackmail. Please make everyone aware of Sections 388 and 389 and lets hope
that they can help stem this scourge of blackmail that two judges of the
Supreme Court have let lose on us.
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| Section 389 in The Indian Penal CodeCentral Government Act Section 389 in The
Indian Penal Code 389. |
| |
| View on indiankanoon.org | Preview by Yahoo |
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| Section 388 in The Indian Penal CodeCentral Government Act Section 388 in The
Indian Penal Code 388. |
| |
| View on indiankanoon.org | Preview by Yahoo |
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