KEY FACTORS OF MORAL POLICING https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_police#:~:text=Moral%20police%20is%20an%20umbrella,code%20of%20morality%20in%20India.&text=The%20target%20of%20moral%20policing,or%20%22against%20Indian%20culture%22.
- In its broadest sense, moral policing could refer to a system that imposes strict vigilance and restrictions on those who violate our society’s basic standards.
- Our society’s fundamental values can be found in its cultures, long-standing customs, and religious doctrines.
- It is a situation in which those who support this phenomenon question an individual’s moral character.
MORAL POLICING SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
- Lynching is a form of violence in which a mob, under the guise of administering justice without a trial, executes a suspected criminal, often after torturing and mutilating him.
- Various extra-constitutional actors, such as Anti Romeo Squads, use physical violence to impose their subjective beliefs.
- Honor killings are one of the most extreme examples of moral policing, which ostensibly curtails western influences by infringing on individual freedom.
- There are many instances where moral policing impedes the citizen’s basic fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution, such as the right to freedom of speech and expression, the right to privacy, the right to live with dignity, and so on.
- For example, as a result of moral policing, the LGBT community is facing severe consequences, and their fundamental right to life and liberty is under threat.
FACTORS SUPPORTING MORAL POLICING
- Platforms such as Whatsapp and Facebook act as a catalyst for moral policing by amplifying the spread of fake news.
- Fake news can lead to events such as lynchings and communal clashes, among other things.
- People with a patriarchal mindset see women’s security as their duty because they are perceived as the weaker sex and more gullible.
- As a result, they would impose restrictions on women’s speech, attitude, clothing, public behavior, and so on.
- The police are a public organization that has been given extraordinary powers to use force. As a result, police officers frequently overstep their authority. For example, Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) criminalized obscene materials such as books and paintings. The term obscenity, on the other hand, has not been defined.
- However, police officers use Section 292 to file cases against obscene film posters and advertisement hoardings. This undermines artistic creativity and limits the freedom of expression of artists.
- The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (PITA) was enacted to combat human trafficking.
However, it has been used by police to raid hotels if they suspect a sex racket is operating there, even if there is no evidence, embarrassing legal couples, and young people.
Reforming the Criminal Justice System: Reforming the criminal justice system is necessary in order to instill sensitivity and awareness of constitutional values in the administration.
Judicial reforms, prison reforms, and police reforms are the three broad categories of criminal justice system reforms.
Public Debates and Discussions: Public debates and discussions should be encouraged in schools and colleges to raise awareness and sensitization to various moral policing issues.https://www.hindadvocates.com/know-about-your-fundamental-rights/
