Law, Liberty and Life: A discursive analysis of PCPNDT Act

Autores

  • Tapan Ranjan Mohanty National Law Institute University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18316/2318-8081.15.8

Palavras-chave:

Gender discrimination, Sex selection, PCPNDT ACT, Tradition, Modernity

Resumo

The gender discrimination though is an universal and usual phenomenon practices across time and space with fewer exceptions, it takes a deep and pervasive from in India as it starts not just with birth of the girl child but even before that. To put it succinctly the practice of ‘sex selection’ and sex selective abortions India has not only adversely affected an already skewed child sex ratio but has disastrous consequences for the future. The tradition of ‘son-preference syndrome’ coupled with the modern medical technology that has enabled early detection of sex of the foetus has spelled doom for the defenceless female foetus. Surprisingly, this practice is more among the rich, urbane and educated families than the rural, poor and less educated couples. The centuries of psychological conditioning in the case of women, their vulnerability and helpless conjoined with prejudice towards girl child has turned the protectors into perpetrators of a heinous crime. It is in this context the Govt. of India enacted a specific legislation titled ‘Pre-Conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Selection of Sex) Act-1994’, in short PCPNDT Act to curb this menace. However, the chasm between the law in theory and law in practice at least in this case seems a bit far due to various socio-economic and cultural factors. In this article an attempt has been made to systematically analyze the issue from the perspective of sociology of law.

Biografia do Autor

Tapan Ranjan Mohanty, National Law Institute University

Dr. Tapan R. Mohanty is the Chairperson of Centre for Socio-Legal Studies and Associate Professor of Sociology of Law. His doctoral dissertation titled ‘Culture, Development and Entrepreneurship: A Study of Silk Traders of Chanderi’ is a treatise on exploration of the nuances of entrepreneurial dimensions of a traditional craft among the rural artisans of Madhya Pradesh, a community that consists of rural poor (scheduled castes, low class Muslims and impoverished migrants from tribal belts of Madhya Pradesh). His junior research fellowship produced an important work on sociological aspect of ecology is general and sustainable development in particular. During the last few years he has worked extensively in the areas of globalization, tribal development and culture of consumption besides Sociology of Law. He had four major research projects to his credit on diverse issues like educational management (NUEPA), Bhopal Gas Tragedy (World Bank and MoEF), Engendering Criminal Law (NCW) and Implementation of PCPNDT Act (UNFPA). He has more than 30 research articles to his credit published in international and national referred journals viz. Curriculum and Teaching, Economic and Political Weekly, Vikalpa to name a few. He has a consistently brilliant academic record that boasts a first class first honours with distinction from Ravenshaw University, UGC National Scholarship, Merit Scholarship from JNU, research fellowship from Ministry of Environment and Forest, doctoral fellowship from ICSSR, national award for essay writing from Centre for Civil Society (New Delhi) and UNFPA etc. He was also a recipient of Erasmus-Mundus Fellowship from the European Union. A widely travelled intellectual he has visited around twelve countries spread across four continents. He is an occasional write in leading English Dailies of the Country and has considerable exposure to electronic media as a subject expert on various social and educational issues. He is a life member of Indian Sociological Society and Indian Society of Criminology besides being a member of Research Committee on Sociology of Law of International Sociological Association (Madrid, Spain). He is also a member of the Executive Council of NLIU.

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Publicado

2015-11-24

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