NHRC takes serious cognizance of ‘Nata Pratha’

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to four states- Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. This notice follows a 2020 case in which a father sold his daughter for 2.5 lakhs and later filed a complaint with the commission upon discovering her dead body.

About 2020 case

In this case The Commission’s directions come following its intervention in a complaint dated July 15, 2020, by the father of a minor girl who claimed that the child was allegedly kidnapped from Rajasthan’s Salamgarh area, in district Pratapgrah. Her body was found in Danpur, in the district of Banswada.

• “The Commission through its Investigation Division conducted a spot inquiry. It was found that the father himself sold her as part of a marriage deal to a man for ₹2.5 lakh. As part of the ‘Nata Pratha’ deal signed by their families and witnessed by villagers on July 11, 2019, the groom paid ₹60,000 and the remaining amount was to be paid by January 10, 2020,”
• The commission further noted that when the groom failed to pay the remaining amount within the stipulated time, the father brought his daughter back and fixed her ‘Nata’ with another man for ₹32,000. The girl objected to this and went to live with her earlier husband at Gagarwa. She also complained to the Banswada SP, alleging that her father was an alcoholic and had made several attempts to fix her ‘Nata’ against her will with many boys to earn money and that he had also threatened to kill her. The police failed to take any action on her complaint, and she poisoned herself on June 16, 2020

NHRC Enquiry

The NHRC enquiry revealed that the father had filed the complaint in the Commission alleging the kidnapping and murder of his daughter to save himself from any action on the police complaint filed by her against him. The Investigation Division suggested legal action against the father of the girl for selling her minor daughter and action against the police personnel of Danpur for their inaction on the girl’s complaint. The NHRC spot enquiry team also suggested that the State Government should enact a law to stop the social evil of ‘Nata Pratha’.

• Thereafter on 23rd January, 2020, the Commission deputed its Special Rapporteur to make an exhaustive enquiry into the matter of selling girls in Rajasthan. He also suggested the urgent need to address this social evil by multifaceted strategy as it violated basic human rights. The Commission referred the matter to the Research Division also to suggest the measures in this regard.

Research Wing Observation

The Research wing observed that the ‘Nata Pratha’ is comparable to modern forms of prostitution. Among various measures, it suggested that besides enacting a law, the individuals involved in forcing women to go for ‘Nata Pratha’ must be prosecuted under laws relating to human trafficking and for selling the minor girls under the relevant provision of the POCSO Act to check this menace. It also suggested setting up a board or a group at the village level to register the cases of ‘Nata Pratha’ in addition to building awareness and providing education and employment to improve the economic and social status of girls and women.

Brief About NHRC

The National Human Rights Commission of India (abbreviated as NHRC) is a statutory body statutory body constituted on 12 October 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Ordinance of 28 September 1993. It was given a statutory basis by the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 (PHRA). The NHRC is responsible for the protection and promotion of human rights, defined by the act as “Rights Relating To Life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the constitution or embodied in the international covenants and enforceable by courts in India”

Static G.K

NHRC is : A Statuary Body , Constituted in 1993

(NHRC) has issued a notice to four states: Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat

POCSO Act : Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.