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WRIT OF MANDAMUSINTRODUCTION Mandamus is a Latin word, which means "We Command". Mandamus is an order from the Supreme Court or High Court to a lower court or tribunal or public authority to perform a read more
WRIT OF MANDAMUS
INTRODUCTION
Mandamus is a Latin word, which means "We
Command". Mandamus is an order from the Supreme Court or High Court to a
lower court or tribunal or public authority to perform a public or statutory
duty. This writ of command is issued by the Supreme Court or High court when
any government, court, corporation or any public authority has to do a public
duty but fails to do so. Writ of Mandamus can be used to order a job to be
done, or it may allow an operation to be stopped in other situations.
TYPES OF WRITS OF MANDAMUS
1. Alternative
Mandamus
As the first step in the writ of Mandamus process,
an alternative mandamus is issued. The alternative Mandamus requires the
defendant to execute the required act, or appear in court to justify why it was
not done.
2. Peremptory
Mandamus
A peremptory mandamus is issued when the defendant
fails to demonstrate sufficient grounds for failing to carry out the act in
question to comply with the alternative mandamus.
3. Continuing
Mandamus
A continuing mandamus
is issued to a lower public authority requesting that it perform its required
tasks to prevent a miscarriage of justice.
ORIGIN OF MANDAMUS IN INDIA
A continuing mandamus is issued to a lower public
authority requesting it to perform its tasks in order to avoid a miscarriage of
justice. In India the writ of Mandamus follows the English pattern. In
pre-independent India, the three Supreme Courts derived the power to issue a
Mandamus Writ within the towns of the Presidency by the respective charters. The
letters patent creating the Supreme Court at Calcutta in 1773 introduced
Mandamus in India. The Supreme Courts were empowered to grant the writ in the
cities of the Presidency. In 1877, the Specific Relief Act replaced an order in
the nature of mandamus in place of the Writ of the mandamus for the purpose of'
requiring any specific act to be done or forborne by any person holding a
public office within the local limits of his ordinary civil jurisdiction.
In a Leading case Raman & Raman v. State of Madras, A.l.R. 1959 S.C. 694 & State
of Assam v. Ajit Kumar, A.l.R. 1965 S.C. 1196, it was said that “Mandamus
will not issue to enforce departmental manuals or instructions not having any
statutory force which do not give rise to any legal right in favour of the
petitioner”
In a case Binny
Limited V. Sadasivan, 2005 AIR (SC) 3202, it was said “A writ of mandamus or remedy is
pre -eminently a public law remedy and is not generally available against
private wrongs. It is used for enforcement of various rights of the public or
to compel the public statutory authorities to discharge their duties and to act
within the bounds. It may be used to do justice when there is wrongful exercise
of power or a refusal to perform duties.”
TO WHOM MANDMUS WILL NOT APPLY
In India it will not lie in their personal
capacities on the President and the Governor of a State. The Constitution,
however, expressly provides that appropriate proceedings may be brought against
the Government of India and a State Government. Furthermore, the Constitution
empowers the courts "to issue to any person or authority, including, where
appropriate, any government" any of the writings mentioned in it. Then
Mandamus is given against the Government
The term ‘subsidy’ comes from the Latin word subsidy, meaning 'reserve-stationed soldiers’, which essentially means ‘support from behind’. Subsidy means grant in the most common sense. This grant can read more
The
term ‘subsidy’ comes from the Latin word
subsidy, meaning 'reserve-stationed soldiers’, which essentially means ‘support from behind’. Subsidy means
grant in the most common sense. This grant can be either in the form of cash or
kind and is usually given to support an economic policy.
Subsidy
is generally understood to be a Government-issued grant but this is not a very
strict definition. The various forms of subsidy include direct subsidies such
as cash grants, interest-free loans, indirect subsidies such as tax breaks,
premium-free insurance, low interest loans, write-offs on depreciation, rent
rebates etc. Subsidies have been recognized extensively around the world as a
tool for enforcing government policies.
Objective
of a subsidy and understanding Revenue and Capital receipts
The
basic objective of granting a subsidy is to compensate the extra amount of
expenditure incurred by the assessee. Subsidies
can be given for many reasons such as setting up of industries etc. Talking
about capital receipts and sales receipts in this report, simply put, capital
receipts don't impact the company's profit or loss, for example, we might say
long-term asset sales are one kind of capital receipts.
Yet
tax receipts do impact a company's profit or loss. As an example, it may be assumed
that revenue receipts are the selling of goods, the commission obtained etc. The
nature and function of capital receipts and revenue receipts are completely
different.
In
the landmark case of Sahney Steel and Works Ltd. v Commissioner
of Income Tax, Andhra Pradesh 1997 228 ITR 253 (SC), in the above case, Hon'ble Supreme Court held that if the object (of
subsidy) is to assist the assessee in setting up his business or expanding a
project, the money must be regarded as obtained for capital purpose. But if the
assessee receives money to assist him in carrying out the business operation
and the money is only provided after and conditional upon the start of
production, these subsidies must be regarded as aid for the purpose of trade
and must be subject to taxes as those subsidies directly affect the profits of
the company. The Supreme Court said that ‘motive’
and ‘purpose’ test needs to be
applied to determine the nature of subsidy.
In this case the Andhra Pradesh Government gave
certain relaxations to the company with regards to its operations. Benefits
such as refund on sales tax on raw materials, machinery and finished goods, subsidies
relating to power consumption, exemption of water bill when water is taken from
sources not maintained by any govt or local body, etc.
In furtherance to this, there were certain
conditions regarding the grant of subsidies under this scheme; (1) the subsidies will only be granted when
the production has commenced, (2) the availability of incentives would be
limited to only 5 years from the date of commencement of production.
Mr. Ganesh who was appearing for the assessee
i.e. Sahney Steel Works contented that these incentives were given for rapid
industrialisation in the State and the main objective of the incentives were to
encourage industrialisation. There they must not be subjected to tax.
The Supreme Court finally held, that the incentives were granted after the company started the production and that the incentives provided were also subject to a time limit. These grants were not just given for setting up of an industry but were provided for conducting smooth production and granting relaxations such as reduced water and electricity bill and reduced rate of sales tax which could ultimately result in increase in the profits of the company. By observing these points Supreme Court concluded that these aspects must be treated as revenue receipts and shall be subjected to tax. Hence making it clear that the subsidies provided by the Government would be subjected to tax.
Authors of this post:
1. Lakshay
Parmar
2. Dilpreet
Singh
Introduction In India, various acts provide for favorable arrangements for the protection of children. These laws are intended to achieve a social purpose and to prevent vagrancy and destitution and to read more
Introduction
In India, various acts
provide for favorable arrangements for the protection of children. These laws
are intended to achieve a social purpose and to prevent vagrancy and
destitution and to provide a quick, affordable and rapid mechanism for
providing support and maintenance to children.
Statutory Provisions
Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, Section 26
–
The court may pass
orders relating to the custody, maintenance, and education of minor children
during the proceedings under the Act. Under this Act, both parents (father,
mother, or any of them) are liable to keep the children as ordered by the
court. While making such orders, as far as possible the court takes into
account the children's wishes. These orders and provisions may be altered from
time to time. Any request for the protection and education of minor children
during the proceedings pending under the Act shall be determined, as far as
possible, within sixty days from the date of notification service to the
respondent.
Hindu
Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956, Section 20-
A Hindu male or female is bound to maintain
his or her legitimate/illegitimate minor children and aged/infirm parents. Aged
or infirm parent (which includes childless stepmother) or unmarried daughter
have to be maintained if they are unable to maintain themselves.
Criminal Procedure Code, 1973,
Section 125 – Magistrate may order a person to make monthly allowance
for maintenance in a case where any person who despite having sufficient means neglects
or refuses to maintain –
(i)
his legitimate or
illegitimate minor child who is unable to maintain itself
(ii)
legitimate or
illegitimate major child (not being a married daughter) unable to maintain
itself due to any physical or mental abnormality/injury
(iii)
married daughter
till she attains majority if her husband is not able to maintain her
(iv)
his/her father or
mother who are unable to maintain themselves.
This section also makes a provision for maintenance during
the pendency of proceedings regarding monthly allowance for maintenance. Also,
application for interim maintenance during pending proceedings is to be decided
by the Magistrate, as far as possible, within sixty days of the date of service
of notice of application to such person. A person who fails to comply with the
order of the Magistrate without showing sufficient cause may also be sent to
prison. The order of maintenance passed under this section may be altered by
the Magistrate on proof of change in circumstances.
In
India, child maintenance is accepted under Section 125 CrPC. It was given the
child can claim maintenance from the father in India. Section 26 of the Hindu
Marriage Act also makes provision for child maintenance under Hindu law.
The
provision of the Act specifies that a minor child is entitled to receive
maintenance from the father if, or otherwise, a child's custody has been
granted to the mother during the divorce proceeding.
Recently,
Indian courts have also said that, under Indian family law, a major child,
whether a daughter or a son, also has the right to receive maintenance from his
/ her father if they are dependent on their parents.
Mohan Singh Mawri v. Smt. Haripriya
Mawri
The Uttarakhand High Court,while revising the amount of maintenance given
to the wife, observed that although an adult son can not demand maintenance
from his parents as a matter of right, in the Indian culture we can not forget
the fact that the parents have to hold their adult child until he gets a
suitable job and that it is a social duty on the parents to keep the adult
child One can not equate this Indian culture and custom with European culture
and custom.
Jayvardhan
Sinh Chapotkat vs. Ajayveer Chapotkat MANU / MH/2581/2014
Bombay High Court held that under the Hindu
Marriage Act, a major son may not be entitled to maintenance. The Petitioner
has, in the present case, made a specific application for educational expenses
which he can use until he reaches the age of 18. And, as far as age is
concerned, the son / claimant will reach a majority, it would not be the right
age to become economically independent so as to make his living. In the facts
given in the case, a major son of the well-educated and economically sound
parents may claim educational expenses from his father or mother regardless of
the fact that he has attained majority. It is not strictly maintenance as
contemplated under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure or maintenance
as contemplated under section 20(2) of
the Hindu Marriage Act.
T.Vimala vs S.Ramakrishnan Crl.R.C.(MD)No.180 of 2014
The Madras High
Court Bench held that fathers are liable to pay maintenance to children who had
attained majority even if the latter were not suffering from any mental or
physical abnormalities and yet do not have sufficient financial capacity to
maintain themselves.
Children who become major and do not suffer from
any disability can also claim maintenance from their fathers like children
under the age of 18. They can get educational expenses as well under section
125 of the Cr.P.C. in the state.
The Madurai bench of the Madras high court
passed an order in the T, Vimala and others versus S Ramakrishnan case taking
note of section 20 of the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, by Justice P.
Devadass.
It was held that:
“Education is an important aspect in children’s
life... No father is expected to bring up a criminal or a disorderly person.
Section 125 is not just for food for life, it should also be for food for
thought. Otherwise, so far as children are concerned, we will be doing violence
to the very object of Section 125.”
Scope of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, The significance of this piece of legislation was clarified by the High Courts and the Supreme Court in India in a series of judgments. In read more
Scope
of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act,
The
significance of this piece of legislation was clarified by the High Courts and
the Supreme Court in India in a series of judgments. In a recent judgment, the
Gujarat High Court in the case of Bhartiben Bipinbhai Tamboli v. Gujrat State
and Ors, R/SCR.A/5672/2016 after reviewing thoroughly the
provisions of the Domestic Violence Act,
has held that:
In this country, domestic violence is rampant and several women encounter violence in some form or the other, or almost daily. It is the least-reported type of cruel behavior, however. A woman resigns her fate as a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mom, a husband, a single woman in her lifetime to the never ending cycle of enduring violence and discrimination.
This
non-women's retaliation coupled with the absence of legislation addressing
women's issues, ignorance of existing women's laws, and societal attitude makes
women vulnerable. The reason why most cases of domestic violence are never
recorded is due to the social stigma of the society and the mindset of the
women themselves, where women are expected to be subordinate, not only to their
male counterparts but also to the male relatives.
The remedies
available to a victim of domestic violence have been limited until the year
2005. Either the women had to go to the civil court for a divorce decree or
initiate prosecution in the criminal court for the offense punishable under IPC
Section498A. No emergency relief for the victim is available in both
proceedings. There was also no recognition of the relationships outside of the
marriage.
This set of
circumstances ensured a majority of women preferred to suffer in silence, not
out of choice but out of compulsion. With all these facts in mind, Parliament
considered it fit to enact an came to be known
as The Protection of Women from Domestic
Violence Act, 2005(hereinafter known as “The Act”). The Act's main object is to protect women from a man
or / and a woman's violence. It is a progressive law whose sole purpose is to
protect women regardless of the relationship
that she shares with the accused. Under the Act, the concept of an aggrieved
individual is so broad that it includes even women who live in a relationship
with their partners within its purview.
Domestic Violence –
Section 3
of the Act, describes the term 'domestic
violence.' The definition has a large range and encompasses all types
of abuse against women. This includes physical, sexual, verbal and emotional
abuse, as well as economic abuse.
The
sections read as follows-
For
this Act, any act, omission or commission or conduct of the respondent shall
constitute domestic violence in case it—
2.
Harasses,
harms, injures or endangers the aggrieved person to coerce her or any other
person related to her to meet any unlawful demand for any dowry or other property
or valuable security; or
3.
Has the effect of threatening the aggrieved
person or any person related to her by any conduct mentioned in clause (a) or
clause (b); or
4. Otherwise, injuries or causes harm, whether physical or mental, to the aggrieved person.
1.
Who is allowed to make a complaint under the Act?
Section 2(a) of the Domestic Violence Act defines “aggrieved person” as any woman who is,
or has been, in a domestic relationship with the respondent and who alleges to
have been subjected to any act of domestic violence by the respondent.
The
Act protects not only those women who are or have been in a relationship with the
abuser, but also those women who have lived together in a shared household and who
are linked through consanguinity, or through a marriage or adoption
arrangement.
In the Act, even those women who are sisters, widows,
mothers, single women or living in any other relationship with the abuser have
the right to legal protection.
Women in Live in
relationships covered under the Act
The Supreme Court in the case D. Veluswamy v. D. Patchaiammal (2010)
10 SCC 469, placed a broader
meaning on an "aggrieved individual" under Section 2(a) of the Domestic
Violence Act in which the Court mentioned as follows five ingredients of a
living in relationship:
1. The parties must behave as husbands and wives and are known
in front of society as husbands and wives.
2. They must be of a valid legal age of marriage.
3. At the time of entering a relationship, no partner should
have a sous living.
4. They must have willingly cohabited for a significant period
of time.
5. They must have lived together in a shared household.
The Supreme Court also observed that not all
live-in-relationships will amount
to a relationship in the nature
of marriage to get the benefit of Domestic Violence Act.
The above-mentioned conditions shall be
satisfied in order to obtain such profit and this must be proven by proof.
Status of a Keep- The Court stated that if a man has a' keep' which he financially retains and uses only for sexual purposes and/or a servant it would not be a partnership in the nature of marriage.
The Court also referred in this case to the word "palimony" which means providing maintenance to a woman who has lived with a man without marriage for a substantial period of time, and who is then abandoned by him.
Against whom can the complaint be filed under the
Domestic Violence Act?
The Act
defines “respondent” as
any adult male person who is, or has been, in a domestic relationship with the
aggrieved person and against whom the aggrieved person has sought any relief
under this Act:
Provided
that an aggrieved wife or female living in a relationship in the nature of a
marriage may also file a complaint against a relative of the husband or the
male partner.
In view of the
scope of the term respondent covering an adult male person, the judiciary has
been confronted time and time again with the contention that an aggrieved
person can file a complaint only against an adult male person under the
Domestic Violence Act and not against the husband's female relatives, i.e.
mother-in-law, sister-in-law.
However, in Sandhya Wankhede v. Manoj Bhimrao Wankhede (2011) 3
SCC 650 case, the Supreme Court put the issue to rest on the
grounds that the provisions of Section 2(q) do not preclude husband's or male
partner's female relatives from the scope of a lawsuit that may be lodged under
the Domestic Violence Act.
Not only men but women can also be prosecuted under the Domestic Violence Protection Act (DV). The Supreme Court revoked the words "adult male" from the relevant provision in the DV Act to establish that a woman may also lodge a complaint against another woman, accusing her of domestic violence.
Under
Section 2(q) of the 2005 Act, a complaint may only be lodged against an
"adult male individual," thus insulating women from being convicted
of the offenses referred to in the statute.
But
a bench of Justices Kurian Joseph and Rohinton F Nariman ruled that this clause
violated the legislation's purpose because "domestic violence perpetrators
and abettors" can also be women.
It acknowledged that the statutory intent to provide effective protection for women's rights could easily be defeated by an adult male person who is not in the forefront, but brings forward female persons who could forcefully evict a woman or defeat any other order passed under the act without fear of calling for prosecution.
The
bench held:
“The microscopic difference between male and
female, adult and non-adult, regard had to the object sought to be achieved by
the 2005 Act, is neither real or substantial nor does it have any rational
relation to the object of the legislation. In fact, the words ‘adult male
person’ are contrary to the object of affording protection to women who have
suffered from domestic violence of any kind”
The court ruled “We, therefore, strike down the words ‘adult male’ before the word ‘person’ in Section 2(q), as these words discriminate between persons similarly situated, and far from being in tune with, are contrary to the object sought to be achieved by the 2005 Act,”
The bench resorted to the "doctrine of severability" and only struck down that part of Section 2(q) which produced a gender-based distinction in relation to offenders under the Act. “Application of the aforesaid severability principle would make it clear that having struck down the expression ‘adult male’ in Section 2(q), the rest of the Act is left intact and can be enforced to achieve the object of the legislation without the offending words,” it held
Hiral
P. Harsora And Ors vs Kusum Narottamdas Harsora And Ors, Ct. 28 CRR 1795 of 2017
“Pursuant
to the provisions of the DV Act, a complaint against a daughter-in-law, a
daughter or a sister could be maintained if they were a co-respondent in a
complaint against an adult male who is or has been in a domestic relationship
with the complainant and that co-respondent.”
No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother - Margaret SangerAbortion policy in India is consistent with safeguarding reproductive rights as read more
No woman can call herself
free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother
- Margaret Sanger
Abortion policy in India
is consistent with safeguarding reproductive rights as envisaged by
International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and similar other
international agreements. It does not justify abortion as a method of family
planning. Rather, it promotes the advancement of family planning services to
prevent unwanted pregnancies, while recognizing the importance of providing
safe, secure, available and appropriate abortion services for women who need to
terminate an unwanted pregnancy.
Under criminal law the
word abortion is generally used to describe a deliberate termination of
pregnancy. The word Abortion in common usage means premature fetal removal
during pregnancy.
Abortion is the
intentional termination of gestation by any means and at any time during
pregnancy from conception to full term.
Abortion
as a Fundamental Right
In Suchita Srivastava and
V. Krishnanan, the Madras Supreme Court and the Madras High Court respectively
upheld the right of women to choose in the case of continuing pregnancy. In
Suchita Srivastava, the Supreme Court clearly held that the State has a duty to
guarantee the reproductive rights of a woman as a part of her rights to
personal freedom, dignity and privacy under Article 21.
Delhi High Court ruled in
Laxmi Mandal v. Deen Dayal Hari Nagar Hospital that preventable maternal death
constitutes a breach of Article 21 of the Constitution. The High Court
ordered that Delhi's NCT enforce the National Rural Health Mission program
assurances, including safe abortion facilities, to prevent maternal deaths. The
landmark decision gave rise to a state obligation to take steps to end preventable
maternal death, including deaths caused by insufficient access to safe
abortion.
The
Indian Penal Code
Section 312 to 316 of the
Penal Code deal with the penal abortions. These sections have been placed under
the chapter of offences affecting human body.
(A)
Section 312
of the Penal Code provides that a person who voluntarily causes a miscarriage
to a child-bearing woman will be punished with imprisonment for three years, or
fine, or both. The crime cannot be remembered, is bailable, and is not
compoundable. If the woman is quick with child the sentence can go up to seven
years and fine, unless the miscarriage is induced in good faith to save the woman's
life.
(B)
According to section 313 of the
Indian Penal Code, whoever commits a miscarriage to a woman with child without
consent, whether the woman is quick with child or not, shall be punished with
life imprisonment or imprisonment of either description for a term of up to ten
years, and shall also be liable to fine. Section 313 of the Indian Penal Code
makes it punishable to cause miscarriage without the consent of the woman. The
gravity of the offence is enhanced.
(C)
When an accused intending to cause only
miscarriage to a woman with child causes her death, he is convicted under section
314 of the Penal Code.
(D)
In compliance with section 316 of
the Indian Penal Code the accused does not actually need to induce
abortion or intend to kill the inner life. Though not intended or wanted, he
does an act likely to cause his death, he would be guilty of this crime. Only
after the woman has become' fast' with child and before birth can this crime be
committed. Accordingly, under this clause, the death of a fast-unborn child [
advanced pregnancy] by an act of guilty homicide is punishable for up to
ten years imprisonment and fine. The crime under section 316 is cognizable by
the Court of Session, not bailable, not compoundable and triable.
The
Medical Termination of Pregnancy, 1971
The Act, which consists
of only 8 sections deals with the various aspects such as the time,
place and circumstances in which a registered medical practitioner may
terminate a pregnancy. This legalizes abortion in situations where there is a
contraceptive failure or where the pregnancy has an adverse effect on the
physical or mental termination of the pregnancy, the pregnant woman's consent
is a must unless she is a minor or lunatic then consent is necessary from her
guardian.
Broadly, the Act allows
for the termination of pregnancy on medical, social, humanitarian and eugenic
grounds, up to 20 weeks of gestation m by a recognized licensed and
sufficiently trained medical practitioner to provide a safe environment.
It can be remembered that
the M.T.P. Act does not provide safeguard for the unborn child. Any
indirect protection it provides under the Law is merely a by-product arising
from the woman's rights. An important feature of the Act is that after twenty
weeks it doesn't allow termination of pregnancy. Under the M.T.P. Act, abortion
is legal until the second trimester, but it is at medical opinion's absolute
discretion. It is important to note that the M.T.P. Act does not permit
for induced on demand abortions.
The Medical Termination
of Pregnancy Rules and Regulations 1975, define the criteria and procedures for
approval of an abortion facility, procedures for consent, keeping records and
reports, and ensuring confidentiality. Any termination of pregnancy done at a
hospital or other facility without prior approval of the Government is deemed
illegal and the onus is on the hospital to obtain prior approval.
Medical
Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020
On 29th January
2020, the Union Cabinet approved the Medical Termination of Pregnancy
(Amendment) Bill, 2020, amending the Medical Termination Pregnancy Act, 1971.
It will be implemented in the subsequent Parliamentary session.
According to a statement,
the proposed amendment seeks to raise the upper gestation limit from 20 to
24 weeks for special categories of women which will be specified in the
amendments to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Rules and which will
include' vulnerable women including rape survivors, incest victims and other
vulnerable women (such as women with different abilities, minors) etc.
Conclusion
There is no freedom, no
equality, no full human dignity and person-hood possible for women until they
assert and demand control over their own bodies and reproductive process…The
right to have an abortion is a matter of individual conscience and conscious
choice for the women concerned. - Betty Friedan.
In the larger context of sexual and reproductive health, there is a need to increase awareness of abortion services, particularly among teenagers, by incorporating approaches and interventions within value systems and family and gender relations. To enforce these policies effectively, they need to be assisted by political will and dedication in terms of sufficient resource allocation, training, and funding for services, supplemented by social feedback focused on women's needs.
"GOVERNMENT CALLS FOR CHANGES IN 'POCSO ACT' TO STOP ONLINE CHILD ABUSE"POCSO ACT (THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN FROM SEXUAL OFFENSES ACT) · The panel read more
"GOVERNMENT CALLS FOR CHANGES IN 'POCSO ACT' TO STOP ONLINE CHILD ABUSE"
POCSO ACT (THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN FROM SEXUAL OFFENSES ACT)
·
The panel that took part in the meeting was
created by Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu in 2019 December.
·
Committee demands for change in meaning of
'child pornography' under the POCSO Act.
·
The committee had recent discussions with
Twitter, Facebook and Google.
A panel of parliamentarians, formed by Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu to curb child abuse online, has suggested a dedicated mechanism for dealing with child sex crimes online. The panel also called for improvements to the definition of ' child pornography ' under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
In December 2019, the panel was formed to look at possible legislative provisions to address online child exploitation.
Reportedly, the panel wants the POCSO Act to include the act of "promoting or advocating sexual activity" as an offense to a minor. The MPs may also request an international monitoring platform on cybercrime to promote coverage of sexual crimes against children from around the world. Microblogging website Twitter and global tech giant Google have come under the scanner of the Indian government for not doing enough to prevent porn and allowing for easy access to child abuse videos for young users. A parliamentary committee has been seeking answers on the same.
POLICIES THE SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES
HAVE ON PORN CONTENT --
TWITTER - Twitter said at the meeting that the
microblogging platforms allow users to share porn shot consensually. Twitter
also clarified that it does not allow any kind of material for porn revenge or
child abuse, and has a zero tolerance policy for child sexual exploitation.
GOOGLE - Google reportedly told the panel that
its search engine and YouTube have restricted the search for any such abusive
content. The company told the legislature committee that requires YouTube to
log in to watch adult or pornographic content to ensure the viewer is over the
age of 18.
According to
the annual report of the home ministry in October 2019, about 71 videos of
child pornography, murder, and gang rape were taken off social media, among
other offences. A list of 500 keywords used to search these videos was also
collected to look into it and shared with service providers such as Google,
Yahoo, Twitter, WhatsApp and Microsoft.
In September
2018, the government launched a website to file complaints about inappropriate
online content. More than 10 thousand complaints relating to child pornography
online content and child sex abuse was reported on the site until 31 March
2019. The centralized platform aims to provide citizens with easy access so
that they can report illegal content.
The
committee formed by the Indian Government to further investigate the matter has
members from ten political parties and was originally set up as an
"informal panel" to study on the web issues related to pornographic
content. It was later converted into an ad hoc committee, following the panel's
logistics problem.
The panel
also has plans to hold talks with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
(TRAI) and National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights. The panel
will eventually also have consultations with civil society groups, child
psychiatrists, teachers, experts, parents and government agencies such as the
CERT-In and law enforcement agencies.
INDIA AND CYBER BULLYING --
The risk of
cyberbullying of Indian children has increased over the years. India ranks much
higher when it comes to cyberbullying compared with other Asian countries,
according to available data. The rise can be felt with the number of cases we
get these days. For instance, a Class V student approached us for a fake
Facebook profile created to defame him. Similarly, a Class VIII girl's Facebook
account was hacked for personal vendetta.
Studies show
that 53% of Indian kids in the age group of eight to seventeen years have been
subjected to cyber bullying at least once. Cyber bulling has also had a
sociological and physiological impacts on young minds.
STARTING OF CYBER BULLYING --
Cyberbullying
can be classified as -direct attacks and proxy bullying. Direct cyber attacks,
are those in which the attacker targets the victim via:
·
Whatsapp
and messaging on Messenger application
·
Putting
up fake information on blogs and private information online
·
Denting
the victim's image by posting obscene content or hate messages in chat rooms.
·
Sharing
pornographic contents via email or messages
·
Spamming
the victim's email address with junk mails
·
Trojans(malicious software) is used for
hacking remotely, disable computer system's camera's LED which will notify the
user that the camera is on. It is used to follow and exploit actions of
kids(specially girls).
·
Creating
an online poll with the particular victim's name to body shame and defame or
embarass the person
NEW THREATS AND CHALLENGES --
As social
media continues to evolve, the threat of child abuse often appears in new
avatars such as the Sarahah and Blue Whale Challenges. While the BWC is a web
game, Sarahah is another
online application that challenges the player to do 50 tasks that often drive
the child to suicide and allows people to post anonymous comments that are
often rude, offensive, and humiliating. Anonymity of Sarahah makes it a potential threat, as it can be used for
blackmailing as well as to send offensive messages looking for sexual benefits.
Such online
requests often expose children to a higher risk of online abuse, bullying or
even suicide.
WHY ARE KIDS TARGETTED ?
There is no
specific answer to 'why children?' And data indicate that the burden of child
abuse often lies on children. This is mainly because it is easy for offenders
to use them. Also, online abuse often causes academic loss and disturbs the
mental health of a child. when a child has the fear of restrictions of being
imposed on internet usage and use of mobile, does not allow the kid to share
such incidents with the parents.
PREVENTING CHILD ABUSE --
Parents can play a vital role in curtailing
child abuse, by being more vigilant and following a few guidelines :
·
To
restrict and monitor certain websites by using parental monitoring software
applications.
·
Set
rules for the suitable use of computers, cell phones, and other technologies.
·
Monitoring
the child's online activities
·
Report
cyber bullying incidents to the nearest police station.
PARENTAL GUIDELINES TO PREVENT CHILD
ABUSE --
·
NEVER
SHARE PASSWORDS WITH ANYONE, EXCEPT PARENTS
·
Teach
your children to save evidence of abuse (harassing messages, sexually explicit
pictures, or threatening texts) and not to respond to them
·
They
should attend cyber awareness programmes (online/offline)
·
Never
allow children to make new friends online
·
Check
the confidentiality of their social media account. Teach them to keep personal
information private.
Note that
online abuse is frightening because the abused child often thinks there is no way
out because the abuser can offend anytime, anywhere, even when the child is
home. The only way to protect your child from online perverts is to be
confidential.
RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE --
·
The
Committee has recommended a number of significant changes to the POCSO Act,
2012 and the IT Act, 2000, with corresponding changes to be made in the Indian
Penal Code.
·
A
provision to be included in the POCSO Act 2012 in which any written material is
used to promote or suggest sexual activities with a person under the age of 18
years; The offense under the Act is rendered by visual representation or audio
recording or by any characterization.
·
Another
clause to be inserted in the POCSO Act 2012 which stipulates a Code of Conduct
for intermediaries (online platforms) to maintain online child safety, ensure
age-appropriate content and curtail children's use for pornographic purposes.
·
Under
the 2012 POCSO Act, school management should be responsible for the safety of
children within school premises, transport services and any other programs that
are related to the school.
·
National
Cyber Crime Reporting Portal shall be known as the national portal
under-reporting criteria in the POCSO Act in case of electronic content.
·
A
new section will be included in the IT Act 2000, which provides for punitive
measures for those providing pornographic access to children as well as for
those accessing, producing or transmitting child sexual abuse material.
·
Union
Government shall be empowered to block and/or ban all websites / intermediaries
carrying material of child sexual abuse through its specified authority.
·
The
IT Act to be amended makes intermediaries responsible for all measures aimed at
proactively identifying and removing CSAM and reporting it to the Indian
authorities, as well as to foreign authorities. Gateway Internet Service Providers (ISP's) have a
significant responsibility for detecting and blocking CSAM websites. It is also
for the intermediaries to report to the designated authority, IP addresses /
identities of all child porn / CSAM keyword searches / accesses.
IntroductionMarriages are made in heaven as is often said and are solemnized on Earth. The very basis of a societal structure is marriage. It is the base of a family and a society in effect without which read more
Introduction
Marriages
are made in heaven as is often said and are solemnized on Earth. The very basis
of a societal structure is marriage. It is the base of a family and a society
in effect without which there can be no civilization.
Under
Hindu law, marriage is considered a sacrament which is eternal and
indissoluble. Parliament codified the legislation relating to marriages as the
Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. In Hindu Law Monogamy is strictly imposed. Before the
Hindu Marriage Act was passed, divorce was not a recognised means of putting an
end to a marriage, the only exception being where it was accepted by law, which
meant that the laws of dissolution of marriage and monogamy were, to the
contrary, subject to a legitimate custom.
Divorce
Law in India
Modern
society has become quite complex coupled with shifts in socio-economic
conditions seconded by the disintegration of the common family system, as well
as rapid industrialization and urbanization, education and employment. In
addition, the laws granted equal status and women's rights had tremendous
impact on the institution of marriage that is no longer regarded as an
indissoluble union. There has been
a considerable legislative and judicial interference in the gamut of matrimonial
laws all over the world. Divorce, previously considered evil, has
codified laws that are being substantially modified and liberalised.
Irretrievable Breakdown theory
In India, with regards to the Hindu Marriage
Act and Special Marriage Act, the Government of India has attempted to include
‘Irretrievable Breakdown of Marriage’ as a ground of divorce as per the
recommendations of the 71st report of the Law Commission of
India.
Irretrievable Breakdown
of Marriage is defined as:
“The situation that
exists when either or both spouses are no longer able or willing to live with
each other, thereby destroying their husband and wife relationship with no hope
of resumption of spousal duties.”
In
other words, the irretrievable breakdown of a marriage can be described as such
a failure in the marriage relationship or such adverse circumstances to that
relationship that there is no reasonable probability of the spouses staying
together for mutual comfort and support as husband and wife.
That
is, for an irretrievable breakdown of marriage there is still no codified law.
The Hindu Marriage Act acknowledges few grounds for marriage dissolution in
Section 13. But, with the change in social mores and the changing nature of
marriage in society, the supreme court has shown particular concern about
making irreparable breakup of marriage a basis for divorce.
Reasons
the Court will accept for irretrievable breakdown
· For
a period of time the pair did not live together as husband and wife.
· One
partner had sexual intercourse with another and the other partner finds it
impossible to continue living together as husband and wife because of this.
· After
being declared a 'habitual criminal' one partner is in prison. (This means that
he or she continues to commit crimes and was sentenced to 10-15 years
imprisonment because of this.)
· One
partner deserted the other.
· One
spouse manipulated the other, the husband for instance continues to harass the
wife.
· One
partner is a drug addict or an alcoholic.
· The
partners don't love each other anymore-they might be too different or they
married too young.
The
Supreme Court examined certain cases in A. Jayachandra v. Aneel Kaur.
And when the respondent gives priority to her career over her husbands '
rights, it unerringly points to disharmony, propagation so disintegration of
marital harmony, from which the Court will deduce irretrievable breaches of
marriage.
The
Court found the marriage broken down irretrievably, and granted the husband
divorce. Nonetheless, this is very surprising, as many times in similar
circumstances the court has ordered the restoration of marital rights with the
notion of an Hindu marriage being sacrosanct rather than issuing a decree for
divorce as the very basis of the restitution decree.
Merits
of the theory
The
validity of the argument, as argued by the jurists, is that marriage, which in
practice is called a sacramental institution, should be founded on the basis of
a healthy marriage which is acceptance, compromise and mutual respect. If any
of the marriage party isn't ready to live with the other party the relationship
won't be a happy one. Stretching such a relationship will do no good to each
other, rather it will create resentment and dissatisfaction between the
parties. Therefore it is important to end such a marriage to protect the
sanctity of marriage, to reduce the number of unhappy marriages and to avoid
the precious years of life of the spouses from being wasted.
Demerits
of the theory
The
Law Commission of India has dealt with the demerits of the irretrievable
breakdown principle in detail in Chapter 4 of the 71st report. The two
primary oppositions addressed in the report are:
· It
will promote divorce. It will encourage partners to end the marriage out of
their own enjoyment, or even to any of the partners.
· Allowing
the culprit to take advantage of his own fault by splitting and dissolving the
union.
Conclusion
To
conclude, it can be said that marriage is an institution which is deeply
interested in the preservation of the public at large. It is the family
foundation and, in effect, the culture for which there can be no civilization.
This foundation presupposes the existence of a platform built on the basis of
sound spousal understanding.
If
this understanding between the partners is lacking, and the marriage is a
persistent disease, then it is best that the marriage should be dissolved with
court intervention. The continuation of such a marriage does not serve any
useful purpose. Therefore, such marriage should be dissolved on the basis of
the "irretrievable breakdown theory for the mutual benefit of both
spouses.
In that eventuality
the continuation of such a relationship is meaningless, and such marriage should
be broken as per the Irretrievable Breakdown of Marriage theory. It's high time
we understood the need for Irretrievable Breakdown of Marriage Theory so that
couples can have a new and better life, rather than spending their young days
in court.
INTRODUCTION OF STALKING INTO INDIAN LEGAL REGIMEHave you witnessed the uncomfortable stalking experience? Whether you're a college student, a professional at work, or a housewife, it doesn't matter— read more
INTRODUCTION OF STALKING INTO
INDIAN LEGAL REGIME
Have you witnessed the uncomfortable stalking
experience? Whether you're a college student, a professional at work, or a
housewife, it doesn't matter— many women in India get stalked daily. The
criminals are mostly hanging around in the neighborhood, outside workplaces and
schools, etc.
WHAT
IS THE BASIC DEFINATION OF STALKING?
Stalking is constant communication, which will make
you feel frightened or abused. You may be stalked by someone who watches you or
often calls you. Stalkers can also use apps to harass you by sending unwelcome
emails or messages from social media. About one in six women in her lifetime
have witnessed stalking. Women are twice
as likely to be stalked as men are. Stalking is a crime.
HISTORY
OF STALKING AND ITS INTRODUCTION IN INDIAN LAW
The Indian Penal Code, which became a colonial law
in 1860 ("IPC"), did not mention stalking as an offence. The only
protection for women was for sexual harassment under Section 354, and Section
509 IPC for using words or gestures to insult a woman's modesty. Under IPC
section 354, anyone who assaults a woman believing it will offend her modesty
is liable to be prosecuted by law. Her sex is the essence of a woman's modesty. The ultimate test to be
seen if the modesty of a woman is offended is to see whether the act or attack
will amount to disturbing a woman's sense of decency. The law only makes it
illegal if three conditions are met–that is,
a) The
attack must be against a woman,
b) The
perpetrator must have used excessive force, and
c) Their
modesty should be offended.
In addition, the Magistrates did not always consider
cases of sexual assault until the Supreme Court unambiguously instructed the
Magistrate in Rupan Deol Bajaj v. Kanwar
Pal Singh Gill (1995) to accept the complaint under Section 354 read with
Section 509. Also a big step in acknowledging women as objects of
sexual harassment in various forms was the Landmark judgment Vishaka v State of Rajasthan(1997)
discussing sexual harassment at workplace. Another important judgment which
broadened the subject's jurisprudence in service law was that of the Apparel Export Promotion Council v. A.K. Chopra
(1999) ruled that every act of sexual harassment resulted in violation of
the fundamental right of women workers to equality and the right to life and personal
liberty. One of the big stalking-related
crimes is that of' eve harassment.' In 2012, the Supreme Court in its judgment
of Inspector General of Police v. S.
Samuthiram (1999) set out eight guidelines to curb eve teasing. The Court
discussed the importance of taking up victim and bystander grievances for eve
teasing in public places such as public transportation, educational
institutions, cinema theaters, etc.
In a leading case, PRIYA MATOO CASE a young law student, her stalker Santosh Singh,
the son of a former IPS officer, raped her and murdered her in her Vasant Kunj
home. Mattoo pleaded with police, but nothing happened. Multiple complaints
lodged with Vasant Kunj and RK Puram police in February and August 1995 forced
Singh to give "police undertakings but they were not disincentive. Mattoo
was alone at home on January 23, 1996, when she was raped by Singh and then
killed. Afterwards the case was transferred to CBI IN 1996. The trial court
convicted Singh in December 1999, giving him the benefit of doubt. The high
court ruled and awarded him the death penalty. He was later granted life imprisonment
by Supreme Court in December 2010.
In 2013, the Criminal Law Amendment Act was passed
through the Justice Verma Committee after
the multitude of crimes against women and the increasing violence. Online as
well as offline, Stalking has been identified as an offense under Section
354D. The 2013 Amendment Act also
introduced reforms to crimes involving sexual harassment, voyeurism,
trafficking, etc., resulting in severe penalties for such offenses. Section 354 (D) of Indian Penal Code,1860
defines Stalking as:-
(1)
Any man who—
(i)
follows
a woman and contacts, or attempts to contact such woman to foster personal
interaction repeatedly despite a clear indication of disinterest by such woman;
or
(ii)
monitors
the use by a woman of the internet, email or any other form of electronic communication,
Commits
the offence of stalking;
Provided
that such conduct shall not amount to stalking if the man who pursued it proves
that—
(i)
it
was pursued for the purpose of preventing or detecting crime and the man
accused of stalking had been entrusted with the responsibility of prevention
and detection of crime by the State; or
(ii)
it
was pursued under any law or to comply with any condition or requirement
imposed by any person under any law; or
(iii)
in
the particular circumstances such conduct was reasonable and justified.
(2)
Whoever commits the offence of stalking shall
be punished on first conviction with imprisonment of either description for a
term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine; and be
punished on a second or subsequent conviction, with imprisonment of either
description for a term which may extend to five years, and shall also be liable
to fine.
CLASSIFICATION
OF OFFENCE
Punishment-Imprisonment upto 3 years and with fine for first conviction-Cognizable-Bailable-Triable by any magistrate. Punishment-Imprisonment upto 5 years and with fine for second or subsequent conviction-Cognizable-Non bailable-Triable by any Magistrate.
Stalking can also take the form of unwanted
telephone calls, computer messages, writing letters, etc., or it can also
happen on an online platform when a man watches and harasses a woman on the
internet, email or any other form of electronic communication.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
LAW AND CYBER STALKING
The Information Technology Act, 2000 was the next step to check offences in the cyberspace. Chapter IX of the Act deals with the offences including identity theft, impersonation, sending obscene material etc. Under this Act, though, cyber stalking as a standalone concept was not addressed directly. What the IT Act was trying to do was address the online stalking consequences. For example, in a situation where several identities are produced to harass a person online, the IT Act defines this provision and explains it as an impersonation offense under Section 66D. Here a person assumes a fake identity with the intention of deceiving or misleading another person using a computer or communication device
There are three forms of Cyber Stalking which are as
follows:-
1. The
first is email harassment and can take many forms such as unsolicited, whether
it is a scene or a threat message.
2. Then
internet stalking takes place. Here the stalker uses the internet to slander
and endanger the victim. In such cases cyber stalking takes on a public
dimension rather than a private one. What disturbs this type of cyber stalking
is that it is likely to spill into the physical space.
3. The
third mode of cyber stalking is computer stalking which exploits the workings of
the internet and the Window operating system in order to assume control over
the computer of the targeted victim.
In a leading case in 2016, Shri Deu Baju Bodake v The State of Maharashtra's Bombay High Court
investigated a suicide case by a woman who claimed that the reason for her
suicide was the accused's constant harassment and stalking. At work the accused
would always harass her and insist on marrying her. In addition to the charge
for abetment to suicide, the High Court held that the charges under Section 354D should have been
registered.
JUDICIAL
PRONOUNCEMENT
Kalandi
Charan Lenka v State of Orissa (2017)
The informant is a student studying at the Women's
College Pattamundai in Pattamundai. Among other items, it is alleged that her
father has three daughters and that his first daughter is a mentally retarded
girl and that the second daughter is the informant. The victim girl came in her
mobile alleging her character while researching unknown obscene messages at
School. Before this also from unknown mobile number, pornographic messages
influencing the informant's character also came across her father's cell phone.
Her father after passing the message became sorry and told the informant-victim
about the matter. Thus the victim's wife became mentally disturbed to see these
disgusting texts. The written letters containing obscene languages imputing the
victim girl's character then came to her father during the year 2015-2016.
Those letters came with sexual comment and a template that denigrated the
victim girl's character. The messages not only influenced the victim girl's
character but also linked the other male members to the victim girl for having
sex. The Cyber Cell of the Crime Branch had investigated the same issue, and
the High Court held that the accused was prima facie liable for sexual
harassment offenses under Section 354A, 354D for cyber stalking under the
Indian Penal Code, 1860, Section 66-C for identity theft, Section 66-D for
impersonation and Section 67 and 67 for electronic transmission of obscene and
sexually explicit content. Therefore the application for the bail was also
rejected.
IMPROVEMENTS
IN STALKING LAW
Due to the
large cases of violence against women, the Delhi Assembly adopted a resolution
in March 2018 amending the law and making the stalking a non-detrimentable
offence, which is expected to be tabled in the Winter Session. The price had been high for five of
India's most famous accusers. A teenage woman of a lawmaker's alleged rape
tried to burn herself outside her state chief minister's home, after her father
died in police custody. The guy she accused has sued a high profile journalist
for defamation. Another reporter says she has trouble finding work. And a
Bollywood actress says she feels her accusations have led to real change in
India, though the consequences since she first made them over a decade ago have
contributed to her exhausted decision to move to the US.
The year 2018 MeToo movement's backlash aims to launch an open dialog about all forms of sexual abuse that women face in India. The policy must also strongly consider the issue of online stalking to safeguard women's right to be free from cyberspace violence. The law enforcement agencies also need to gain a better understanding of the problem and investigative techniques also need to change to keep pace with changing times.
#METoo
What is E-invoicing?E-invoicing or electronic invoicing is a process of validating invoices electronically through GST Network (GSTN) for further use on common GST portal. It does not mean generation read more
What
is E-invoicing?
E-invoicing or electronic invoicing is a
process of validating invoices electronically through GST Network (GSTN) for further use on common GST portal. It does
not mean generation of invoices from a central portal of tax department.
The GST council has notified that e-invoice is mandatory for registered person
whose aggregate turnover in a financial year exceeds Rs. 100 crores.
'E-invoicing'
or 'electronic invoicing' is a method where GSTN electronically authenticates
B2B invoices for further use on the standard GST portal.
Under
the proposed electronic invoicing system, the Invoice Registration Portal (IRP)
to be operated by the GST Network (GSTN) which will issue an
identification number against each invoice.
E-invoicing
benefits
E-invoicing
is the new system by which GSTN electronically authenticates business to
business (B2B) transactions for further use on the common GSTN portal. Currently,
a trade is made directly between the manufacturer and the buyer, without the
government having any evidence of the sale. With e-invoicing, a unique number
called IRN (Invoice Reference Number) will be given when an invoice is made, it
will be submitted to the GSTN portal where pre-validation will be performed.
When IRN is released it will also exchange the tax invoice with the receiver.
This
system could be a blessing for a nation like India where tax evasion is
widespread. Such real-time monitoring of invoices can be done by both vendors
and government, leading to a reduction in fraud and fake GST invoices.
Secondly,
when it comes to GST return filing process, e-Invoice further improves the
automation. Currently GSTR filing requires enormous manual work vulnerable to
error. The e-invoicing can provide this process with ease, speed and accuracy.
When IRN is released, it will update the Supplier's Annexure–1 & if
e-waybill is needed, Part–A of the same will be modified. It will also upgrade
the recipient's Annexure-2.
The
draft version of the e-invoice format was published in an excel prototype by
GSTN and made available for public feedback on 20 August 2019. The same was
approved by the GST Council at the 37th meeting on 20 September 2019, with
some amendments. ICAI-associated GSTN drafted the format to comply with the GST
and other Indian tax laws. Besides these, the format adheres to the standards
of the international and various industries. The e-invoice interface looks
exhaustive and provides various industries and companies with a single format.
Multiple
modes will be made available so that taxpayer can use the best mode based on
his/her need. The modes given below are envisaged at this stage under the
proposed system for e-invoice, through the IRP (Invoice Registration Portal):
1.
Web based
2.
API based
3.
SMS based
4.
mobile app based
5.
offline tool based and
6.
GSP based.
The Road
Ahead
E-invoicing
represents a push for a digital economy. Curbing tax evasion and increasing
government tax collections may ensure the government does not further raise GST
rates. For every record that exists, e-invoices can be generated-from debit or
credit notes to vehicle invoices. The resultant positive effect on performance
would result in reducing, if not eradicating, mistakes in data entry and
greater transparency.
Certiorari Meaning- Certiorari is a latin word which means "to be fully informed". A writ of Certiorari orders the lower court to deliver its record in a case to the higher court for further reviews.United read more
Certiorari
Meaning- Certiorari is a latin word which means "to be fully informed". A writ of Certiorari orders the lower court to deliver its record in a case to the higher court for further reviews.
United States Supreme Court uses Certiorari to select most of the case it hears.
How is Certiorari
different from Prohibition?
While the prohibition writing is available during the pending proceedings, it is only after the order or decision has been announced that the certiorari writ can be resorted to.
The conditions
necessary for issuing a certiorari writ-
· There should be a judge, tribunal or officer with legal authority to assess the issue with a duty to take legal action.
· Such a court, tribunal or officer must have issued an order in that case, tribunal or officer acting without jurisdiction or beyond the scope of the judicial authority vested by statute.
· The order may also contravene the standards of natural justice or the order may include an error of judgment in determining the facts of the case.
Case
Name of the case-
CRAWFORD V. WASHINGTON
Summary of the case-
· Mr. Crawford was charged for attempting murder on a man who tried to rape his wife.
· Crawford's wife gave witness to the investigating officers regarding the whole incident.
· During the trail procedure, the prosecution tried to use the statements against Crawford because his wife was not present due to her marital reasons.
· Crawford fought that the statement was inadmissible under the Sixth Amendments Confrontation Clause.
· The court said that a defendant has the right to challenge the witness who testifies against him with reasonable opportunity to cross-examine under the Confrontation Clause and that opportunity did not exist in this case.
Facts of the case-
Mr. Crawford was charged with attempted murder and assault of a man he claimed was attempting to rape his wife. The prosecution tried to introduce the Crawford's wife's recorded statement where she described the stabbing. The court allowed the statement recorded on the tape into evidence. Under the state marital right, Crawford's wife was unable to testify. Crawford then appealed and the appeals court in Washington ruled that the inclusion of the taped statement violated Crawford's right of conflict with the Sixth Amendment.
Procedural History-
The state then appealed the decision to the state supreme court that upheld the judgment of the trial court. Crawford brought an appeal to the United States Supreme Court, which granted certiorari.
Rule of Law-
When the declarant is unavailable and the complainant has had an earlier opportunity to cross-examine the witness, past testimony of a witness not present at trial is admissible.
Issue of the case-
Whether a documented police statement made by an unavailable witness is admissible at trial?
--NO.
Judgement-
The Court overturned and remitted the decision of the supreme court of the state of Washington.
Reasoning-
The Court held that the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment guarantees that a defendant has the right to face witnesses who testify against him with a reasonable opportunity to cross-examine him.
Significance of the
case-
Crawford v. Washington established the evidentiary rule that a defendant is entitled to cross-examine witnesses who testify against him at a trial.
Noida, India
New Delhi, India
Secunderabad, India
Bengaluru, India
Bengaluru, India
Patiala, India
Patiala, India
Kolkata, India
DAYS
HOURS
MINUTES
SECONDS
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Unless otherwise defined in this Documents/ Advice or Terms & Conditions which being the guiding Documents/ Advice to this Documents/ Advice, all capitalized terms have the meanings given them in the Transactions Transaction Terms and Conditions.
S-1. Your Documents/ Advice Listings and Orders
S-1.1 Documents/ Advices Information. You will, in accordance with applicable Program Policies, provide in the format we require. Documents/ Advices intended to be sold should be accurate and complete and thereafter posted through the SoOLEGAL Site and promptly update such information as necessary to ensure it at all times that such Documents/ Advices remain accurate and complete. You will also ensure that Your Materials, Your Documents/ Advices (including comments) and your offer and subsequent Transaction of any ancillary Documents/ Advice pertaining to the previous Documents/ Advices on the SoOLEGAL Site comply with all applicable Laws (including all marking and labeling requirements) and do not contain any sexually explicit, defamatory or obscene materials or any unlawful materials. You may not provide any information for, or otherwise seek to list for Transaction on the SoOLEGAL Site, any Excluded Documents/ Advices; or provide any URL Marks for use, or request that any URL Marks be used, on the SoOLEGAL Site. In any event of unlawful Documents/ Advices made available for Transaction by you on SoOLEGAL site, it is understood that liabilities limited or unlimited shall be yours exclusively to which SoOLEGAL officers, administrators, Affiliates among other authorized personnel shall not be held responsible and you shall be liable to appropriate action under applicable laws.
S-1.2 Documents/ Advices Listing; Merchandising; Order Processing. We will list Your Documents/ Advices for Transaction on the SoOLEGAL Site in the applicable Documents/ Advices categories which are supported for third party REGISTERED USERs generally on the SoOLEGAL Site on the applicable Transacting Associated Properties or any other functions, features, advertising, or programs on or in connection with the SoOLEGAL Site). SoOLEGAL reserves its right to restrict at any time in its sole discretion the access to list in any or all categories on the SoOLEGAL Site. We may use mechanisms that rate, or allow users to rate, Your Documents/ Advices and/or your performance as a REGISTERED USER on the SoOLEGAL Site and SoOLEGAL may make these ratings and feedback publicly available. We will provide Order Information to you for each of Your Transactions. Transactions Proceeds will be paid to you only in accordance with Section S-6.
S-1.3 a. It is mandatory to secure an advance amount from Client where SoOLEGAL Registered Consultant will raise an invoice asking for a 25% advance payment for the work that is committed to be performed for the Client of such SoOLEGAL Registered Consultant. The amount will be refunded to the client if the work is not done and uploaded to SoOLEGAL Repository within the stipulated timeline stated by SoOLEGAL Registered Consultant.
b. SoOLEGAL Consultant will be informed immediately on receipt of advance payment from Client which will be held by SoOLegal and will not be released to either Party and an email requesting the Registered Consultant will be sent to initiate the assignment.
c. The Registered Consultant will be asked on the timeline for completion of the assignment which will be intimated to Client.
d. Once the work is completed by the consultant the document/ advice note will be in SoOLEGAL repository and once Client makes rest of the payment, the full amount will be remitted to the consultant in the next payment cycle and the document access will be given to the client.
e. In the event where the Client fails to make payment of the balance amount within 30 days from the date of upload , the Registered Consultant shall receive the advance amount paid by the Client without any interest in the next time cycle after the lapse of 30 days.
S-1.4 Credit Card Fraud.
We will not bear the risk of credit card fraud (i.e. a fraudulent purchase arising from the theft and unauthorised use of a third party's credit card information) occurring in connection with Your Transactions. We may in our sole discretion withhold for investigation, refuse to process, restrict download for, stop and/or cancel any of Your Transactions. You will stop and/or cancel orders of Your Documents/ Advices if we ask you to do so. You will refund any customer (in accordance with Section S-2.2) that has been charged for an order that we stop or cancel.
S-2. Transaction and Fulfilment, Refunds and Returns
S-2.1 Transaction and Fulfilment:
Fulfilment – Fulfilment is categorised under the following heads:
1. Fulfilment by Registered User/ Consultant - In the event of Client seeking consultation, Registered User/ Consultant has to ensure the quality of the product and as per the requirement of the Client and if its not as per client, it will not be SoOLEGAL’s responsibility and it will be assumed that the Registered User/ Consultant and the Client have had correspondence before assigning the work to the Registered User/ Consultant.
2. Fulfilment by SoOLEGAL - If the Registered User/ Consultant has uploaded the Documents/ Advice in SoOLEGAL Site, SoOLEGAL Authorised personnel does not access such Documents/ Advice and privacy of the Client’s Documents/ Advice and information is confidential and will be encrypted and upon payment by Client, the Documents/ Advice is emailed by SoOLEGAL to them. Client’s information including email id will be furnished to SoOLEGAL by Registered User/ Consultant.
If Documents/ Advice is not sent to Client, SoOLEGAL will refund any amount paid to such Client’s account without interest within 60 days.
3. SoOLEGAL will charge 5% of the transaction value which is subject to change with time due to various economic and financial factors including inflation among other things, which will be as per SoOLEGAL’s discretion and will be informed to Registered Users about the same from time to time. Any tax applicable on Registered User/ Consultant is payable by such Registered User/ Consultant and not by SoOLEGAL.
4. SoOLEGAL will remit the fees (without any interest) to its Registered User/ Consultant every 15 (fifteen) days. If there is any discrepancy in such payment, it should be reported to Accounts Head of SoOLEGAL (accounts@soolegal.com) with all relevant account statement within fifteen days from receipt of that last cycle payment. Any discrepancy will be addressed in the next fifteen days cycle. If any discrepancy is not reported within 15 days of receipt of payment, such payment shall be deemed accepted and SoOLEGAL shall not entertain any such reports thereafter.
5. Any Registered User/ Consultant wishes to discontinue with this, such Registered User/ Consultant shall send email to SoOLEGAL and such account will be closed and all credits will be refunded to such Registered User/ Consultant after deducation of all taxes and applicable fees within 30 days. Other than as described in the Fulfilment by SoOLEGAL Terms & Conditions (if applicable to you), for the SoOLEGAL Site for which you register or use the Transacting on SoOLEGAL Service, you will: (a) source, fulfil and transact with your Documents/ Advices, in each case in accordance with the terms of the applicable Order Information, these Transaction Terms & Conditions, and all terms provided by you and displayed on the SoOLEGAL Site at the time of the order and be solely responsible for and bear all risk for such activities; (a) not cancel any of Your Transactions except as may be permitted pursuant to your Terms & Conditions appearing on the SoOLEGAL Site at the time of the applicable order (which Terms & Conditions will be in accordance with Transaction Terms & Conditions) or as may be required Transaction Terms & Conditions per the terms laid in this Documents/ Advice; in each case as requested by us using the processes designated by us, and we may make any of this information publicly available notwithstanding any other provision of the Terms mentioned herein, ensure that you are the REGISTERED USER of all Documents/ Advices made available for listing for Transaction hereunder; identify yourself as the REGISTERED USER of the Documents/ Advices on all downloads or other information included with Your Documents/ Advices and as the Person to which a customer may return the applicable Documents/ Advices; and
S-2.2 Returns and Refunds. For all of Your Documents/ Advices that are not fulfilled using Fulfilment by SoOLEGAL, you will accept and process returns, refunds and adjustments in accordance with these Transaction Terms & Conditions and the SoOLEGAL Refund Policies published at the time of the applicable order, and we may inform customers that these policies apply to Your Documents/ Advices. You will determine and calculate the amount of all refunds and adjustments (including any taxes, shipping of any hard copy and handling or other charges) or other amounts to be paid by you to customers in connection with Your Transactions, using a functionality we enable for Your Account. This functionality may be modified or discontinued by us at any time without notice and is subject to the Program Policies and the terms of thisTransaction Terms & Conditions Documents/ Advice. You will route all such payments through SoOLEGAL We will provide any such payments to the customer (which may be in the same payment form originally used to purchase Your Documents/ Advices), and you will reimburse us for all amounts so paid. For all of Your Documents/ Advices that are fulfilled using Fulfilment by SoOLEGAL, the SoOLEGAL Refund Policies published at the time of the applicable order will apply and you will comply with them. You will promptly provide refunds and adjustments that you are obligated to provide under the applicable SoOLEGAL Refund Policies and as required by Law, and in no case later than thirty (30) calendar days following after the obligation arises. For the purposes of making payments to the customer (which may be in the same payment form originally used to purchase Your Documents/ Advices), you authorize us to make such payments or disbursements from your available balance in the Nodal Account (as defined in Section S-6). In the event your balance in the Nodal Account is insufficient to process the refund request, we will process such amounts due to the customer on your behalf, and you will reimburse us for all such amount so paid.
S-5. Compensation
You will pay us: (a) the applicable Referral Fee; (b) any applicable Closing Fees; and (c) if applicable, the non-refundable Transacting on SoOLEGAL Subscription Fee in advance for each month (or for each transaction, if applicable) during the Term of this Transaction Terms & Conditions. "Transacting on SoOLEGAL Subscription Fee" means the fee specified as such on the Transacting on SoOLEGALSoOLEGAL Fee Schedule for the SoOLEGAL Site at the time such fee is payable. With respect to each of Your Transactions: (x) "Transactions Proceeds" has the meaning set out in the Transaction Terms & Conditions; (y) "Closing Fees" means the applicable fee, if any, as specified in the Transacting on SoOLEGAL Fee Schedule for the SoOLEGAL Site; and (z) "Referral Fee" means the applicable percentage of the Transactions Proceeds from Your Transaction through the SoOLEGAL Site specified on the Transacting on SoOLEGAL Fee Schedule for the SoOLEGAL Site at the time of Your Transaction, based on the categorization by SoOLEGAL of the type of Documents/ Advices that is the subject of Your Transaction; provided, however, that Transactions Proceeds will not include any shipping charge set by us in the case of Your Transactions that consist solely of SoOLEGAL-Fulfilled Documents/ Advices. Except as provided otherwise, all monetary amounts contemplated in these Service Terms will be expressed and provided in the Local Currency, and all payments contemplated by this Transaction Terms & Conditions will be made in the Local Currency.
All taxes or surcharges imposed on fees payable by you to SoOLEGAL will be your responsibility.
S-6 Transactions Proceeds & Refunds.
S-6.1.Nodal Account. Remittances to you for Your Transactions will be made through a nodal account (the "Nodal Account") in accordance with the directions issued by Reserve Bank of India for the opening and operation of accounts and settlement of payments for electronic payment transactions involving intermediaries vide its notification RBI/2009-10/231 DPSS.CO.PD.No.1102 / 02.14.08/ 2009-10 dated November 24, 2009. You hereby agree and authorize us to collect payments on your behalf from customers for any Transactions. You authorize and permit us to collect and disclose any information (which may include personal or sensitive information such as Your Bank Account information) made available to us in connection with the Transaction Terms & Conditions mentioned hereunder to a bank, auditor, processing agency, or third party contracted by us in connection with this Transaction Terms & Conditions.
Subject to and without limiting any of the rights described in Section 2 of the General Terms, we may hold back a portion or your Transaction Proceeds as a separate reserve ("Reserve"). The Reserve will be in an amount as determined by us and the Reserve will be used only for the purpose of settling the future claims of customers in the event of non-fulfillment of delivery to the customers of your Documents/ Advices keeping in mind the period for refunds and chargebacks.
S-6.2. Except as otherwise stated in this Transaction Terms & Conditions Documents/ Advice (including without limitation Section 2 of the General Terms), you authorize us and we will remit the Settlement Amount to Your Bank Account on the Payment Date in respect of an Eligible Transaction. When you either initially provide or later change Your Bank Account information, the Payment Date will be deferred for a period of up to 14 calendar days. You will not have the ability to initiate or cause payments to be made to you. If you refund money to a customer in connection with one of Your Transactions in accordance with Section S-2.2, on the next available Designated Day for SoOLEGAL Site, we will credit you with the amount to us attributable to the amount of the customer refund, less the Refund Administration Fee for each refund, which amount we may retain as an administrative fee.
"Eligible Transaction" means Your Transaction against which the actual shipment date has been confirmed by you.
"Designated Day" means any particular Day of the week designated by SoOLEGAL on a weekly basis, in its sole discretion, for making remittances to you.
"Payment Date" means the Designated Day falling immediately after 14 calendar days (or less in our sole discretion) of the Eligible Transaction.
"Settlement Amount" means Invoices raised through SoOLEGAL Platform (which you will accept as payment in full for the Transaction and shipping and handling of Your Documents/ Advices), less: (a) the Referral Fees due for such sums; (b) any Transacting on SoOLEGAL Subscription Fees due; (c) taxes required to be charged by us on our fees; (d) any refunds due to customers in connection with the SoOLEGAL Site; (e) Reserves, as may be applicable, as per this Transaction Terms & Conditions; (f) Closing Fees, if applicable; and (g) any other applicable fee prescribed under the Program Policies. SoOLEGAL shall not be responsible for
S-6.3. In the event that we elect not to recover from you a customer's chargeback, failed payment, or other payment reversal (a "Payment Failure"), you irrevocably assign to us all your rights, title and interest in and associated with that Payment Failure.
S-7. Control of Site
Notwithstanding any provision of this Transaction Terms & Conditions, we will have the right in our sole discretion to determine the content, appearance, design, functionality and all other aspects of the SoOLEGAL Site and the Transacting on SoOLEGAL Service (including the right to re-design, modify, remove and alter the content, appearance, design, functionality, and other aspects of, and prevent or restrict access to any of the SoOLEGAL Site and the Transacting on SoOLEGAL Service and any element, aspect, portion or feature thereof (including any listings), from time to time) and to delay or suspend listing of, or to refuse to list, or to de-list, or require you not to list any or all Documents/ Advices on the SoOLEGAL Site in our sole discretion.
S-8. Effect of Termination
Upon termination of this Contract, the Transaction Terms & Conditions automatiocally stands terminated and in connection with the SoOLEGAL Site, all rights and obligations of the parties under these Service Terms with regard to the SoOLEGAL Site will be extinguished, except that the rights and obligations of the parties with respect to Your Transactions occurring during the Term will survive the termination or expiration of the Term.
"SoOLEGAL Refund Policies" means the return and refund policies published on the SoOLEGAL Site.
"Required Documents/ Advices Information" means, with respect to each of Your Documents/ Advices in connection with the SoOLEGAL Site, the following (except to the extent expressly not required under the applicable Policies) categorization within each SoOLEGAL Documents/ Advices category and browse structure as prescribed by SoOLEGAL from time to time, Purchase Price; Documents/ Advice Usage, any text, disclaimers, warnings, notices, labels or other content required by applicable Law to be displayed in connection with the offer, merchandising, advertising or Transaction of Your Documents/ Advices, requirements, fees or other terms and conditions applicable to such Documents/ Advices that a customer should be aware of prior to purchasing the Documents/ Advices;
"Transacting on SoOLEGAL Launch Date" means the date on which we first list one of Your Documents/ Advices for Transaction on the SoOLEGAL Site.
"URL Marks" means any Trademark, or any other logo, name, phrase, identifier or character string, that contains or incorporates any top level domain (e.g., .com, co.in, co.uk, .in, .de, .es, .edu, .fr, .jp) or any variation thereof (e.g., dot com, dotcom, net, or com).
"Your Transaction" is defined in the Transaction Terms & Conditions; however, as used in Terms & Conditions, it shall mean any and all such transactions whereby you conduct Transacting of Documents/ Advices or advice sought from you by clients/ customers in writing or by any other mode which is in coherence with SoOLEGAL policy on SoOLEGAL site only.
Taxes on Fees Payable to SoOLEGAL. In regard to these Service Terms you can provide a PAN registration number or any other Registration/ Enrolment number that reflects your Professional capacity by virtue of various enactments in place. If you are PAN registered, or any professional Firm but not PAN registered, you give the following warranties and representations:
(a) all services provided by SoOLEGAL to you are being received by your establishment under your designated PAN registration number; and
SoOLEGAL reserves the right to request additional information and to confirm the validity of any your account information (including without limitation your PAN registration number) from you or government authorities and agencies as permitted by Law and you hereby irrevocably authorize SoOLEGAL to request and obtain such information from such government authorities and agencies. Further, you agree to provide any such information to SoOLEGAL upon request. SoOLEGAL reserves the right to charge you any applicable unbilled PAN if you provide a PAN registration number, or evidence of being in a Professional Firm, that is determined to be invalid. PAN registered REGISTERED USERs and REGISTERED USERs who provide evidence of being in Law Firm agree to accept electronic PAN invoices in a format and method of delivery as determined by SoOLEGAL.
All payments by SoOLEGAL to you shall be made subject to any applicable withholding taxes under the applicable Law. SoOLEGAL will retain, in addition to its net Fees, an amount equal to the legally applicable withholding taxes at the applicable rate. You are responsible for deducting and depositing the legally applicable taxes and deliver to SoOLEGAL sufficient Documents/ Advice evidencing the deposit of tax. Upon receipt of the evidence of deduction of tax, SoOLEGAL will remit the amount evidenced in the certificate to you. Upon your failure to duly deposit these taxes and providing evidence to that effect within 5 days from the end of the relevant month, SoOLEGAL shall have the right to utilize the retained amount for discharging its tax liability.
Where you have deposited the taxes, you will issue an appropriate tax withholding certificate for such amount to SoOLEGAL and SoOLEGAL shall provide necessary support and Documents/ Adviceation as may be required by you for discharging your obligations.
SoOLEGAL has the option to obtain an order for lower or NIL withholding tax from the Indian Revenue authorities. In case SoOLEGAL successfully procures such an order, it will communicate the same to you. In that case, the amounts retained, shall be in accordance with the directions contained in the order as in force at the point in time when tax is required to be deducted at source.
Any taxes applicable in addition to the fee payable to SoOLEGAL shall be added to the invoiced amount as per applicable Law at the invoicing date which shall be paid by you.F.11. Indemnity
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Category and Documents/ Advice RestrictionsCertain Documents/ Advices cannot be listed or sold on SoOLEGAL site as a matter of compliance with legal or regulatory restrictions (for example, prescription drugs) or in accordance with SoOLEGAL policy (for example, crime scene photos). SoOLEGAL's policies also prohibit specific types of Documents/ Advice content. For guidelines on prohibited content and copyright violations, see our Prohibited Content list. For some Documents/ Advice categories, REGISTERED USERS may not create Documents/ Advice listings without prior approval from SoOLEGAL. |
In addition to your obligations under Section 6 of the Transaction Terms & Conditions, you also agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless us, our Affiliates and their and our respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents against any Claim that arises out of or relates to: (a) the Units (whether or not title has transferred to us, and including any Unit that we identify as yours pursuant to Section F-4 regardless of whether such Unit is the actual item you originally sent to us), including any personal injury, death or property damage; and b) any of Your Taxes or the collection, payment or failure to collect or pay Your Taxes.
Registered Users must at all times adhere to the following rules for the Documents/ Advices they intend to put on Transaction:
The "Add a Documents/ Advice" feature allows REGISTERED USERS to create Documents/ Advice details pages for Documents/ Advices.
The following rules and restrictions apply to REGISTERED USERS who use the SoOLEGAL.in "Add a Documents/ Advice" feature.
Using this feature for any purpose other than creating Documents/ Advice details pages is prohibited.
Any Documents/ Advice already in the SoOLEGAL.in catalogue which is not novel and/ or unique or has already been provided by any other Registered User which may give rise to Intellectual Property infringement of any other Registered User is prohibited.
Detail pages may not feature or contain Prohibited Content or .
The inclusion of any of the following information in detail page titles, descriptions, bullet points, or images is prohibited:
Information which is grossly harmful, harassing, blasphemous, defamatory, pedophilic, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically objectionable, disparaging, relating or encouraging money laundering or gambling, pornographic, obscene or offensive content or otherwise unlawful in any manner whatever.
Availability, price, condition, alternative ordering information (such as links to other websites for placing orders).
Reviews, quotes or testimonials.
Solicitations for positive customer reviews.
Advertisements, promotional material, or watermarks on images, photos or videos.
Time-sensitive information
Information which belongs to another person and to which the REGISTERED USER does not have any right to.
Information which infringes any patent, trademark, copyright or other proprietary rights.
Information which deceives or misleads the addressee about the origin of the messages or communicates any information which is grossly offensive or menacing in nature.
Information which threatens the unity, integrity, defence, security or sovereignty of India, friendly relations with foreign states, or public order or causes incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence or prevents investigation of any offence or is insulting any other nation.
Information containing software viruses or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer resource.
Information violating any law for the time being in force.
All Documents/ Advices should be appropriately and accurately classified to the most specific location available. Incorrectly classifying Documents/ Advices is prohibited.
Documents/ Advice titles, Documents/ Advice descriptions, and bullets must be clearly written and should assist the customer in understanding the Documents/ Advice. .
All Documents/ Advice images must meet SoOLEGAL general standards as well as any applicable category-specific image guidelines.
Using bad data (HTML, special characters */? etc.) in titles, descriptions, bullets and for any other attribute is prohibited.
Do not include HTML, DHTML, Java, scripts or other types of executables in your detail pages.
Prohibited REGISTERED USER Activities and Actions
SoOLEGAL.com REGISTERED USER Rules are established to maintain a transacting platform that is safe for buyers and fair for REGISTERED USERS. Failure to comply with the terms of the REGISTERED USER Rules can result in cancellation of listings, suspension from use of SoOLEGAL.in tools and reports, or the removal of transacting privileges.
Attempts to divert transactions or buyers: Any attempt to circumvent the established SoOLEGAL Transactions process or to divert SoOLEGAL users to another website or Transactions process is prohibited. Specifically, any advertisements, marketing messages (special offers) or "calls to action" that lead, prompt, or encourage SoOLEGALusers to leave the SoOLEGAL website are prohibited. Prohibited activities include the following:
The use of e-mail intended to divert customers away from the SoOLEGAL.com Transactions process.
Unauthorised & improper "Names": A REGISTERED USER's Name (identifying the REGISTERED USER's entity on SoOLEGAL.com) must be a name that: accurately identifies the REGISTERED USER; is not misleading: and the REGISTERED USER has the right to use (that is, the name cannot include the trademark of, or otherwise infringe on, any trademark or other intellectual property right of any person). Furthermore, a REGISTERED USER cannot use a name that contains an e-mail suffix such as .com, .net, .biz, and so on.
Unauthorised & improper invoicing: REGISTERED USERS must ensure that the tax invoice is raised in the name of the end customer who has placed an order with them through SoOLEGAL Payment Systems platform . The tax invoice should not mention SoOLEGAL as either a REGISTERED USER or a customer/buyer. Please note that all Documents/ Advices listed on SoOLEGAL.com are sold by the respective REGISTERED USERS to the end customers and SoOLEGAL is neither a buyer nor a REGISTERED USER in the transaction. REGISTERED USERS need to include the PAN/ Service Tax registration number in the invoice.
Inappropriate e-mail communications: All REGISTERED USER e-mail communications with buyers must be courteous, relevant and appropriate. Unsolicited e-mail communications with SoOLEGAL , e-mail communications other than as necessary and related customer service, and e-mails containing marketing communications of any kind (including within otherwise permitted communications) are prohibited.
Operating multiple REGISTERED USER accounts: Operating and maintaining multiple REGISTERED USER accounts is prohibited.
In your request, please provide an explanation of the legitimate business need for a second account.
Misuse of Search and Browse: When customers use SoOLEGAL's search engine and browse structure, they expect to find relevant and accurate results. To protect the customer experience, all Documents/ Advice-related information, including keywords and search terms, must comply with the guidelines provided under . Any attempt to manipulate the search and browse experience is prohibited.
Misuse
of the ratings, feedback or Documents/ Advice reviews: REGISTERED
USERS cannot submit abusive or inappropriate feedback entries,
coerce or threaten buyers into submitting feedback, submit
transaction feedback regarding them, or include personal information
about a transaction partner within a feedback entry. Furthermore,
any attempt to manipulate ratings of any REGISTERED USER is
prohibited. Any attempt to manipulate ratings, feedback, or
Documents/ Advice reviews is prohibited.
Reviews: Reviews
are important to the SoOLEGAL Platform, providing a forum for
feedback about Documents/ Advice and service details and reviewers'
experiences with Documents/ Advices and services –
positive
or negative. You may not write reviews for Documents/ Advices or
services that you have a financial interest in, including reviews
for Documents/ Advices or services that you or your competitors deal
with. Additionally, you may not provide compensation for a review
(including free or discounted Documents/ Advices). Review
solicitations that ask for only positive reviews or that offer
compensation are prohibited. You may not ask buyers to modify or
remove reviews.
Prohibited Content
REGISTERED USERS are expected to conduct proper research to ensure that the items posted to our website are in compliance with all applicable laws. If we determine that the content of a Documents/ Advice detail page or listing is prohibited, potentially illegal, or inappropriate, we may remove or alter it without prior notice. SoOLEGAL reserves the right to make judgments about whether or not content is appropriate.
The
following list of prohibited Documents/ Advices comprises two
sections: Prohibited Content and Intellectual Property
Violations.
Listing
prohibited content may result in the cancellation of your listings,
or the suspension or removal of your transacting privileges.
REGISTERED USERS are responsible for ensuring that the Documents/
Advices they offer are legal and authorised for Transaction or
re-Transaction.
If
we determine that the content of a Documents/ Advice detail page or
listing is prohibited, potentially illegal, or inappropriate, we may
remove or alter it without prior notice. SoOLEGAL reserves the right
to make judgments about whether or not content is appropriate.
Illegal and potentially illegal Documents/ Advices: Documents/ Advices sold on SoOLEGAL.in must adhere to all applicable laws. As REGISTERED USERS are legally liable for their actions and transactions, they must know the legal parameters surrounding any Documents/ Advice they display on our website.
Offensive material: SoOLEGAL reserves the right to determine the appropriateness of listings posted to our website.
Nudity: In general, images that portray nudity in a gratuitous or graphic manner are prohibited.
Items that infringe upon an individual's privacy. SoOLEGAL holds personal privacy in the highest regard. Therefore, items that infringe upon, or have potential to infringe upon, an individual's privacy are prohibited.
Intellectual Property Violations
Counterfeit merchandise: Documents/ Advices displayed on our website must be authentic. Any Documents/ Advice that has been illegally replicated, reproduced or manufactured is prohibited.
Books - Unauthorised copies of books are prohibited.
Movies - Unauthorised copies of movies in any format are prohibited. Unreleased/prereleased movies, screeners, trailers, unpublished and unauthorized film scripts (no ISBN number), electronic press kits, and unauthorised props are also prohibited.
Photos - Unauthorised copies of photos are prohibited.
Television Programs - Unauthorised copies of television Programs (including pay-per-view events), Programs never broadcast, unauthorised scripts, unauthorised props, and screeners are prohibited.
Transferred media. Media transferred from one format to another is prohibited. This includes but is not limited to: films converted from NTSC to Pal and Pal to NTSC, laserdisc to video, television to video, CD-ROM to cassette tape, from the Internet to any digital format, etc.
Promotional media: Promotional versions of media Documents/ Advices, including books (advance reading copies and uncorrected proofs), music, and videos (screeners) are prohibited. These Documents/ Advices are distributed for promotional consideration and generally are not authorized for Transaction.
Rights of Publicity: Celebrity images and/or the use of celebrity names cannot be used for commercial purposes without permission of a celebrity or their management. This includes Documents/ Advice endorsements and use of a celebrity's likeness on merchandise such as posters, mouse pads, clocks, image collections in digital format, and so on.
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