Various movies come and go but some leave a mark on our souls and lives which we never forget. 3 Idiots, Taare Zameen Par, Paathshala, Oh My God, English Vinglish, etc. are some of the Indian movies that forced us to see that part of the society which a lot of were unaware about. 10 days back, one such movie released on the silver screen – PINK. A movie which is appreciated by all portrays that black side of our country which we all see but still overlook. The living conditions for women in our country are far better than various other countries but that doesn’t give any right to anyone to tag our character and judge women.
Along with a lot of moral lessons, PINK tells us some very useful legal aspects of our country’s constitution to which most of us are completely unaware of. In PINK when the protagonist character, Meenal, aka Tapsee Pannu, got dismissed by local police officials, who refused to register her FIR, she resorted to the option of “Zero FIR” as told to her by a senior official. Other than this, there are various legal terms used in the movie which is of great use to women.
So, it is recommendable to each and every Indian lady to add these legal terms to their vocabulary so that you are well aware of your rights and can use them wisely when in need:
- Zero FIR: The concept of Zero FIR says that you can register a FIR at any Police Station irrespective of the place where the incident happened. It is a right of every Indian citizen that if you are no longer in the place of the incident or you are not sure of the jurisdiction of the area, the Station House Officer of a police station is under a legal obligation to lodge your FIR. That Zero FIR can be later on transferred to the concerned police station.
- Section 354: In PINK, Rajveer and his goons are charged under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code. It is a very important section of our Constitution that every woman should be well aware of. Under this, any person who assaults them or acts in a manner with the intention of outraging her modesty, he/she can be charged under this section.
- Section 503: In PINK, Meenal and her friends use this section to file their complaint against goons. Under legal terms, it says, “whoever threatens another with any injury to his person, reputation or property, or to the person or reputation of any one in whom that person is interested, with intent to cause alarm to that person, or to cause that person to do any act which he is not legally bound to do, or to omit to do any act which that person is legally entitled to do, as the means of avoiding the execution of such threat, commits criminal intimidation.”
- Women and Minors can get Bail on weekends: Even if a woman is arrested on Friday afternoon like Meenal in PINK, they can exercise their special right granted to them and minors under special circumstances to get a bail on a weekend, even if the crime is specified non-bailable. Such bail hearings can be heard at the residence of a judge on both Saturday and Sunday.
- Section 164: During the interrogation scenes of the movie, Meenal’s lawyer asks her some personal questions and then judge offers her the provision of recording her statement in a private video in a room on a camera. Under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, a woman has the authority to record the statement with only one police officer and a woman constable in a convenient place.
So, along with a lot of things PINK actually restores our faith in India’s legal system and ensures them to trust their instincts, understand the law and take actions boldly to oppose any injustice which they face.
