Being a democratic country, the Indian Constitution has given various powers to the Indian citizens. Here is an account of some laws, each Indian should know.
It is a form of government- Of the people, for the people, and by the people. In a democracy, everyone has a share in the formation of the government. It is an order of a society. It generates value for each citizen of the country. The government solely does not consist of the power of the state.
The preamble of India declares India to be a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic.
Need for Power-Sharing in a Democracy
Under Democracy, the power is divided within different groups of society. Power division helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups. Since social conflicts often lead to violence, and political instability, power-sharing is a good way to ensure the stability of political order. Power-sharing is the very spirit of democracy. A democratic rule involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise, and who have to live with its effects. People have the right to be consulted on how they are to be governed. A legitimate government is one where citizens, through participation, acquire a stake in the system.
The act of power-sharing in a democratic country will stress out, only bringing better outcomes, and moral emphasis on it is valuable. As the people are the source of the democratic principle, they rule themselves through institutions of self-governance. Everyone has a voice, in shaping the country’s domain setup.
As stated by the features of a democratic country, people have a decisive role in making laws for a country, forming the government, and having a share in the government.
According to the constitution of India, various laws are given to the citizens. These laws are generally created to regulate society, but despite this, it provides a certain amount of power-sharing to the citizen.
Women cannot be arrested after sunset
According to Section 46(4), Code of Criminal procedure, women cannot be arrested after sunset except in serious cases and for that also, the officials need permission from a magistrate to make the arrest. And under no circumstances, a male officer can arrest a woman.
Indian women have the right to ask, not to be physically present at the police station for questioning
This means that a woman can’t be forced to go to the police station for interrogation, and she has the right to ask for the interrogation to be carried out at her own residence, in the presence of a female constable and family members or friends, according to Section 164 of Code of Criminal Procedure.
Women have the right to seek an abortion, even unmarried
According to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, even unmarried women are legally entitled to receive an abortion. Also, all the women above 18 years of age, have the right to avail emergency contraceptives to prevent pregnancy.
Citizens have the right to live with their partner at a place or stay in hotel rooms
It is perfectly legal for adult unmarried couples to rent or buy a place together or even check into hotel rooms, with valid ID proof.
Right to Maternity benefits
According to Maternity Benefit Act 2017, women cannot be fired from their workplace because of pregnancy and all working women have the right to acquire a fully paid leave for 26 weeks.
According to the Indian Penal Code, 166 A
If a police officer refuses to lodge an FIR for any complaint, he or she is entitled to jail for up to 6 to 12 months.
According to Section 128 of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988
It is illegal, if a traffic police officer snatches the key from your car or motorcycle, the citizen can launch legal proceedings against the officer.
As per the Citizen Charter
Citizens are eligible to get a compensation of rupees 50 lakh from a gas agency if the gas cylinder blasts during cooking. To claim the compensation, the citizen has to lodge an FIR at the nearest police station and then submit it to the concerned Gas Agency.
According to the Maximum Retail Price Act, 2014
A shopkeeper cannot charge you, more than the printed price for a particular commodity, but a citizen has the right to bargain for a lesser price.
According to Section 501 of the IPC
States that if a person is publishing any defamatory material against any other person, he/she is eligible to be punished and fined under the law.
