Short News
Short News
Trial in Absentia
Context (TH): A special NIA Court in Jammu initiated trial in absentia proceedings against Hafiz Saeed in the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack case.
- Section 356, BNSS, 2023 empowers courts to conduct trials and deliver judgments without the accused’s physical presence.
- Applicable only to Proclaimed Offenders under Section 84, facing offences punishable with 10 years, life imprisonment, or death.
- Mandatory safeguards include two non-bailable warrants, public notices, and a 90-day waiting period before commencing proceedings.
- Strengthens justice against absconding terrorists and fugitives, though concerns remain over fair trial, appeal rights, and international extradition.
The Ravidassia Community
Context (IE): The Ravidassia community renewed its demand for recognition as a separate religion in the upcoming Census during a gathering in Phagwara, Punjab.
- Ravidassias are a Dalit socio-religious community following Guru Ravidas, the 15th–16th century Bhakti Movement saint and social reformer.
- Predominantly concentrated in Punjab’s Doaba region, the community holds significant demographic and political influence in the state.
- Following the 2009 Vienna attack, Dera Sachkhand Ballan declared the Ravidassia Panth an independent faith in 2010.
- Their sacred scripture is Amritbani Guru Ravidas Ji, centred on Begampura, symbolising an egalitarian, caste-free society.