NASHIK, AUG 20: The Nashik-based `Purush Hakk Sanrakshan Samiti' has decided to organise meetings of `battered' husbands in Thane and Dadar in September and a national convention at Pune in October to highlight the misuse of sections 498 A, 354 and 376 of the IPC by women.A spokesman of the committee told The Indian Express that the panel was not against women or the provisions in the law to protect women from ill-treatment, wanted protection to men from the provisions, which were being misused by women. He pointed out that Section 498 A of the IPC (for dowry cases) was being misused by married women to bully their husbands and in-laws.He said that the committee wanted the law to be made bailable, non-cognisable and compoundable. He said that the provision was biased for married women and that husbands, too, should have the right to sue their wives for torture under the Section.Referring to Sections 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman) and 376 (rape) were also totally in favour of women and that in the fast changing society, men could also be victims in the hands of women without having any legal protection.The committee offers free legal advice to battered husbands and lawyers at 30 per cent of the normal fees. He pointed out that the committee had lawyers in Mumbai, Nashik, Thane and Pune, including female lawyers like Shanta Mhatre (Bandra family court), Anamika Vichare, Naina Dhuru (Dadar) and Vidhya Gole (Kalyan).He said that in several cases of Section 498 A husbands were being bullied into submission and about 80 per cent of rape cases were with consent, involving a ``man close to the victim''. He pointed out that in many cases filed under Section 498 A, Which gave unlimited powers to the police, not only the husband but his parents and sisters, at times living separately, were targetted by the police.The committee has appointed Deepak Patil as its chief in Mumbai and intends to create a network in the state and the country to provide relief to battered husbands. The committee held a meeting at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Chembur (Deonar) in Mumbai on August 17, where lawyers, including Shrikant Bhatt, spoke against the misuse of the law by women. Several case histories were narrated by the victims on the occasions.
