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More than 2000 individuals were awarded death sentence in India between 1998 & 2013
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 14, 2015
Death Sentence in India is a contentious topic for many reasons. According to the statistics available with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), more than 2000 individuals were awarded the death sentence by the courts in the 16 year period from 1998 to 2013. Uttar Pradesh tops the chart with 506 death sentences in the 16 year period. The highest number of death sentences was awarded in 2007.
India is in a minority group of countries on the planet that retain capital punishment on their statute books. According to a compilation attempted in 2009, the following criminal offences under various laws attract the death sentence in India:
Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC)
Additionally, some special laws also prescribe death penalty for various offences like the Arms Act etc.
What happens after the Death Sentence is awarded?
Upon conviction and award of death sentence, an individual accused of committing one or more heinous crimes can all the way go up to the Supreme Court challenging the sentence awarded. In many cases the death sentence is commuted to life imprisonment either by the Constitutional Courts or by the President or the Governor as the case may be. The instances where the President or the Governor commutes a death sentence to a life term in prison while deciding mercy petitions is becoming rarer while Courts are commuting more death sentences into life terms in prison in the course of deciding appeals against death sentences.
Major Findings
As many as 2,052 individuals were awarded capital punishment by courts in India between 1998 and 2013. Courts awarded the death sentence to 1,677 individuals during the first 13 years of the 21st century. On an average more than 128 persons were sentenced to death per year during this period. Unfortunately, the gender break up of these figures is not available in the NCRB datasets.
The most number of death sentences handed down in any given year was 2007 when courts across India punished 186 individuals in this manner. In 2000, 165 individuals received death sentences while 164 individuals received this punishment in 2005. 1999 (155 individuals) and 2003 (142 individuals) take the fourth and the fifth place on this list of years in which the most number of death sentences were awarded.
The least number of death sentences were awarded in 1998 (55 individuals). 97 persons each were awarded the capital punishment during the years 2010 and 2013. 2011 with 117 individuals and 2013 with 125 individuals figure at fourth and fifth places respectively on the list of years when the least number of death sentences were handed down by courts.
State/UT-wise trends
An individual convicted of one or more crimes inviting a sentence of death was more likely to be so punished in the State of Uttar Pradesh. With 506 individuals awarded the death sentences during the 16 year period, Uttar Pradesh alone accounts for almost a quarter (24.65%) of the total figure calculated for the 16 year period. This figure could be higher because data is not available for the year 1998 in the NCRB datasets.
With 178 individuals so punished, Bihar stands 2nd in the list of States/UTs where the most number of death sentences were awarded by courts during the period 1998-2013. In Madhya Pradesh 162 individuals received the death sentence placing it 3rd on the list of States/UTs. In 2013, Madhya Pradesh topped the list of States/UTs where the most number of death sentences (22) were awarded.
Maharashtra takes 4th place with 160 individuals receiving capital punishment during this period. Tamil Nadu is at the 5th place with 147 individuals receiving capital punishment during the 16 year period.
Three States, namely, Chhattisgarh (carved out of the erstwhile undivided Madhya Pradesh), Jharkhand (carved out of the erstwhile undivided Bihar) and Uttarakhand (carved out of the erstwhile Uttar Pradesh) came into existence towards the end of the year 2000. Amongst them, Jharkhand takes the top position with 91 individuals being handed the death sentence during the last 13 years (2001-2013). In Chhattisgarh only 29 persons were awarded capital punishment during the same period and in Uttarakhand this figure was 18.
Interestingly, in Karnataka, no death sentences were handed down between 1998- 2003. All 107 death sentences were handed down during the years 2008 (22), 2010 (19), 2005 and 2007 (14 each), 2006 (13), 2012 (8), 2004 (7) and 2009 (5). In 2013, 4 individuals received the capital punishment in Karnataka.
Similarly, no death sentences were awarded in Gujarat during the period 1998-2000. All 62 death sentences were awarded during the years 2004 (19), 2011 (14), 2005 and 2009 (8 each), 2003 (5) and 2001 and 2012 (3 each). In 2013, 2 individuals received the death sentence in this State.
A person was least likely to receive the death sentence in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Sikkim and the UTs of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Lakshadweep as they have not recorded any such instance during the 16 year period.
Region Wise Trends
Not taking into account the States with the most number of death sentences awarded during the 16 year period, the region-wise breakup (north, south, east, west and north east) of the figures are as follows:
The Southern region (including the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and the UTs of Puducherry, Laskhadweep) accounted for 311 death sentences during the years 1998-2013 – the highest amongst all regions. Tamil Nadu tops the list with 147 death sentences followed by Karnataka with 107 and Kerala with 44. Andhra Pradesh saw the least number of death sentences awarded at 11. While Puducherry saw 2 death sentences awarded in 2009, no capital punishment was awarded in Lakshadweep during the entire period.
In the Eastern region barring Bihar, the States of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Sikkim and Odisha and the UT of Andaman and Nicobar Islands accounted for 262 death sentences during the period 1998-2013. West Bengal tops the list with 107 death sentences followed by Jharkhand with 91. In Odisha only 33 individuals were sentenced to death during the period 2001-13 but none during the years 1998-2000. In Andaman and Nicobar Islands 2 individuals were sentenced to death between 1998-2000 and one person in 2013. Sikkim is the only State where no death sentence was awarded during the 16 year period.
Barring Uttar Pradesh, the Northern region comprising of the States of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and the UTs of Delhi and Chandigarh) accounted for 205 death sentences during the 16 year period. Delhi accounts for almost 50% (102 cases) of this figure, most of which were handed between the years 2001-2013. Himachal Pradesh accounts for the least number of death sentences (3) during the same period. Chandigarh recorded 6 death sentences during the years 2001-2013. No capital punishment was awarded between 1998-2000.
Barring Maharashtra in the Western region, the States of Rajasthan and Gujarat and the UTs of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu account for 145 death sentences during the 16 year period. Rajasthan tops this list with 79 death sentences. No death sentences were handed in Dadra and Nagar Haveli during this period.
The North-eastern region accounts for the least number of death sentences (States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura) at 42. Assam accounted for 85% (29) of these figures (all handed between 2001-2013) followed by Meghalaya (6), Tripura (4) and Manipur (3). No capital punishment was awarded in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland. According to NCRB reports, Arunachal Pradesh did not even have jails until 2009.
It is also interesting to note that the States which have a long history of conflict between government forces and militant groups have not seen any kind of spurt in the number of death sentences being awarded. Jammu and Kashmir and Manipur where the Armed Forces Special Powers Acts (AFSPA) are being enforced due to militant exigencies the number of death sentences awarded are much fewer compared to States such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland where AFSPA has been extended repeatedly have not witnessed a single instance of death sentence being handed down to anybody. Jharkhand is the only exception where the high numbers coincide with the existence of militant activity. The situation in this State needs deeper research and investigation which is not possible using the NCRB’s database.
Trends in execution
Three persons were executed during this 16 year period – one each in West Bengal (2004), Delhi (2013) and Maharashtra (2012).
Source: National Crime Records Bureau
By Mehdi Hasan Khan (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons


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More than 2000 people lost their lives in Terrorist incidents in the last 25 Years - Factly
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 17, 2015
The terrorist attack in Paris has once again turned the focus onto terrorist incidents in the country and the subsequent damage. The data collated by MHA indicates that a total of 137 such major incidents took place in the country between 1989 and 2015, while more than 2000 people have lost their lives.
The terrorist attack in Paris has once turned the focus onto terrorist incidents and the subsequent damage. A detailed analysis of the these incidents in India from 1989 to 2015 indicates that more than 2000 people have lost their lives, while more than 6000 people have sustained injuries. The details of these terror related incidents are compiled by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Number of Incidents
A total of 137 terrorist incidents/bomb blasts took place in the country between 1989 and 2015 as per the MHA data. The year 2004 saw the highest number of such incidents (17), followed by 2003 (15), 2002 (13), 1991 (11) & 1992 (11). Seven out of the top 10 years are from the 21 century. The years 1990-1992 also saw an abnormally high number of incidents due to the extremism in Punjab. 37 incidents took place between 1991 and 2000, compared to 76 such incidents between 2001 and 2010. The number of such incidents more than doubled in the decade starting 2001, compared to the previous decade.
Highest Number of Casualties
The years with highest number of casualties are those years where there was a major attack/s. In 2008, there were 3 such major incidents in Jaipur, Ahmedabad & Mumbai (26/11). 333 people lost their lives in 2008.  In 1991, there was the Ludhiana train attack that killed more than 70 people. 1993 was well known for the Mumbai Blasts while 2006 saw the serial blasts in Mumbai local trains. 2007 saw the Samjhauta Blasts and blasts in Hyderabad.  More than 100 people lost their lives because of these incidents in each of the eight different years.
Casualty to Incidents Ratio
A similar trend is observed in the Casualties to the Incidents Ratio. Years that had seen major incidents have a higher ratio and vice versa. 1993 tops the list with 89 deaths per incident followed by 2006 with 60 deaths per incident. More than 10 such incidents took place in the years 2002, 2003, 2004 & 1992, but their casualty to incidents ratio is less than 15, indicating that the incidents in those years were of low intensity. More than 6 years have a casualty ratio of more than 25 per incident, while 17 of the 27 years have a ratio of 10 or more.
States with Highest Number of Incidents
As expected, most such incidents took place in states with greater extremist activity and major urban hubs. Punjab saw 36 such incidents while Jammu & Kashmir saw 31 such incidents. 21 such incidents took place in Delhi while 13 such incidents took place in Maharashtra (11 in Mumbai & 2 in Pune). Most of the incidents in Punjab took place in the early nineties, while most of the incidents in Jammu & Kashmir took place in the last 10 years. Quite a few incidents took place in Assam, Karnataka & Uttar Pradesh in the last few years.
Notable Exclusion
The information compiled by the MHA, for some strange reason, does not include the Rajiv Gandhi assassination incident of 1991 and the Coimbatore Blasts of 1998 that were targeted at L K Advani. More than 70 people lost their lives in these incidents.
Featured image is adapted for representation purpose only from: Vinukumar Ranganathan | Flickr

source: news-factly

created: November 17, 2015

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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More than 2/3rd of the Autonomous colleges are in South India
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 12, 2016
The UGC grants the autonomous status to colleges that meet a set eligibility criteria. As per the latest data released by UGC, 575 colleges across the country have been granted autonomous status and more than 2/3rd of them are from South India.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) document on the XII Plan profile of higher education in India clearly states that the way to improve the quality of undergraduate education is to the delink most of the colleges from the affiliating structure. It also states that Colleges with academic and operative freedom are doing better and have more credibility. The target set out for the 12 plan period is to make 10 per cent of eligible colleges autonomous by the end of 2017. As per the latest available data, a total of 575 colleges across 23 states have been granted autonomous status by the UGC.
What is an autonomous college?
The system of affiliating colleges to Universities was originally designed when their number in a university was small. The university could then effectively oversee the working of the colleges, act as an examining body and award degrees on their behalf. But with time, large number of colleges has been affiliated to a university adversely affecting the quality of the university. The UGC document for the 12 plan makes a note of the need for reducing the number of colleges affiliated to a university to a manageable size.
The Education Commission (1964-66) recommended college autonomy to achieve academic excellence so that colleges have freedom to decide on curriculum that is both modern and locally relevant. Thus the system of granting autonomous status to various colleges began.
As per the latest guidelines, once a college attains the status of an Autonomous College, it is entitled for the following privileges.
The UGC also provides financial assistance to the tune of up to Rs. 15 lakh for Undergraduate Colleges and Rs. 20 lakh for PG and UG Colleges, apart from its regular grants. This assistance is provided for meeting the additional expenses on Guest/visiting faculty; Orientation and re-training of teachers; Re-designing courses and development of teaching/learning material; Workshop and seminars; Examination reforms; Office equipment, teaching aids and laboratory equipment; Furniture for office, classrooms, library and laboratories; Library equipment, books/journals; Expenditure on meetings of the governing body and committees; Honorarium to Controller of Examinations.
What are the eligibility criteria?
The following important criteria are considered among others for identification of institutions for grant of autonomy.
Tamil Nadu has the most number of Autonomous Colleges
Out of the 575 autonomous colleges across the country, 388 of them are from the five South Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala. Tamil Nadu has the most number of autonomous colleges followed by AP & Telangana. The 575 colleges are affiliated to 100 different universities. Anna University in Tamil Nadu has the highest number of autonomous colleges affiliated to it. Only 7 universities across the country have more than 20 autonomous colleges each affiliated to them. Five of these are from Tamil Nadu and the remaining two are from Telangana. Out of the 575 autonomous colleges, 164 are government colleges and the rest are not.


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More than 3 lakh Fake notes seized since Demonetization
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 2, 2018
As per data shared by the government in the Lok Sabha recently, more than 3 lakh fake notes were seized after demonetization. More than 60% of the fake notes were seized from Delhi & Gujarat.
One of the stated goals of demonetization was to reduce the fake currency in circulation. During his address to the nation when he announced demonetization, the Prime Minister mentioned the issue of fake currency multiple times and how demonetization was aimed at fighting fake currency among other things. Even the Finance ministry in its press release on the same day spoke about the menace of fake currency and demonetization as a step to counter the same. But how much fake currency was detected after demonetization?
More than 3 lakh Fake notes detected after demonetization
As explained in one of our earlier stories, the RBI has issued detailed instructions on the process to be followed when fake notes are detected. As per data shared by the government in the Lok Sabha recently, a total of 3,06,808 fake notes were seized across the country in the period between 09th November 2016 & 31st December 2017. This is not very different from the total number of fake notes seized in the year 2016. A total of 2.82 lakh fake notes were seized in the year 2016.More than 39000 fake notes of Rs 2000 denomination were seized during this period. The most number of fake notes seized (more than a lakh) were of Rs 500 denomination. More than 74000 fake notes of Rs 1000 denomination, which is no more legal tender, were also seized during this period.
Delhi & Gujarat accounted for more than 60% of all the seized fake notes
Of the states, Delhi & Gujarat together accounted for more than 60% of all the seized fake notes in the country in the period between 09th November 2016 & 31st December 2017. While Delhi accounted for 37.3%, Gujarat accounted for 23.6% of the fake notes seized. Only two other states (Andhra Pradesh & Kerala) accounted for more than 5% each.In fact, more than 90% of the Rs 1000 fake notes seized during this period were from Delhi & Gujarat alone. Only in the 3 states of Gujarat, Mizoram & Uttar Pradesh, more than 5000 fake notes of Rs 2000 denomination were seized. In the case of Mizoram, almost 80% of the seized fake notes were of Rs 2000 denomination. Gujarat was the only state from where fake notes of Rs 200 denomination were seized during this period.
How does it compare with previous years?
The RBI’s annual report has data on the number of fake currency notes detected and the reporting time period is the April to March cycle (financial year). The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) also started publishing data on fake notes, but only from 2016.  The NCRB’s reporting time period is the January to December cycle (calendar year) and has data on the number of notes seized.
The RBI data from 2014-15 to 2016-17 points to an increasing trend in the detection of fake notes. The increase in 2016-17 could be on account of demonetization. Curiously, there also appears to be discrepancy between the data published by RBI & the NCRB. For instance, NCRB reported the seizure of only 2.82 lakh notes in 2016, while RBI data for 2016-17 reports a detection of more than 7 lakh fake notes.


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More than 30% of the assurances made during the previous (16th) Lok Sabha still pending
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 27, 2019
Official data reveals that it’s not just the promises made to citizens, Governments often fail to implement assurances made in the Parliament as well. More than 30% of the assurances made during the previous or the 16th Lok Sabha are still pending while this number stands at 7% for the 15th Lok Sabha.
One of the common complaints with political parties is about their broken promises. Citizens vote in anticipation of those promises being implemented, but realize that some of these promises are never kept. If you felt that citizens are the only victims, think again. Data available on the Parliament website reveals that 7% of the assurances made by ministers on the floor of the house, during the 15th Lok Sabha(2009-2014) are still pending. In the case of the previous or the 16th Lok Sabha (2014-2019),  this number stands at 32.9%. On the other hand, about 27.4% of the assurances made by the previous government in the Rajya Sabha are still pending.
(Note: Data used for this analysis is taken from the websites of the Lok Sabha & the Rajya Sabha as on 26th June 2019)
What are Assurances?
While responding to questions in the House or during discussions on Bills, Resolutions, Motions etc., the Ministers on several occasions give assurances, undertakings or promises to consider a matter, take action or furnish information later. These are termed as assurances as per parliamentary procedure. Some of the following are examples of assurances made to the house.
Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurances & the Process
In order to ensure that these assurances are implemented in a reasonable timeframe, the Lok Sabha & the Rajya Sabha have constituted a Committee on Government Assurances. These committees are established to institutionalize the procedure for dealing with these assurances. The broad process followed  is described below.
Status of Assurances made during the previous three Lok Sabhas (UPA & NDA-1)
The data for the 14th Lok Sabha (2004-09), or the UPA-1 is not completely available. The available data shows that 23% of the assurances made during the 14th Lok Sabha are still pending. Out of the 161 assurances for which the data is available, 37 are pending while 86 are fully implemented. Twenty three (23) assurances have been dropped.
In the case of the 15th Lok Sabha (2009-14) or UPA-2, around 7% of the assurances made are still pending. Out of the total 5813 assurances made, 5053 are fully implemented, 294 are dropped and 408 are still pending.  More than 50% of the assurances are pending in two (2) different ministries, i.e., Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology and Ministry of Skill Development.
What about the Previous Lok Sabha?
In the case of the previous or the 16th Lok Sabha, which was the first term of Modi led BJP government, 32.9% of the assurances are still pending. While the assurances made during the last few sessions may take time for fulfillment, it is surprising to note that at least 30% of the assurances made during each of the sessions from July 2016 are still pending. Out of the 5335 assurances made so far, 3447 are fully implemented, 91 are dropped and 1754 are still pending.
What is Department wise status in the Previous (16th) Lok Sabha?
In the 16th Lok Sabha, at least 50% of the assurances made are pending in five (5) different ministries. More than 60% assurances are pending in only the Ministry of Minority Affairs. Less than 20% of the assurances are pending in only 12 of the 58 ministries.  More than 100 assurances each were made by 18 different ministries while 12 ministries made less than 30 assurances each.
The lone assurance given by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in the current Lok Sabha was dropped by the committee in June 2016. The assurance was dropped since the PMO responded to the committee saying such mechanism was being discontinued.
Incidentally, in the 15th Lok Sabha also, there was one assurance from the PMO that was dropped.
What about Rajya Sabha?
About 6% of all the assurances given till date (since the 1990s) are pending the Rajya Sabha. Out of the 17403 assurances made so far, 15176 are fully implemented, 1181 are dropped and 1046 are pending.
Though Rajya Sabha is a permanent house, the percentage of pending assurances given during various governments reveals an interesting trend. The percentage of assurances pending (of those assurances made during respective governments) in the Rajya Sabha is less than the pendency in Lok Sabha for each of the last three governments.
What does this mean?
There seems to be an inordinate delay in the implementation of the assurances made on the floor of the house. It is concerning to note that assurances dating back to more than 5 years are still pending. For instance, a question was asked in February 2014, during the UPA-2, about the details of cases booked against sarpanches across the country. More than 5 years later, the data is still not supplied by the government.
In another case for example, a question was asked in July 2014, in the initial months of BJP government, about the number of Indian citizens staying/employed in foreign/Gulf countries, number of Indian workers arrested allegedly on charges of violating visa norms, details of deportation of such persons etc. Almost 5 years on, the government has not provided the data.
The very essence of questions in the parliament will be lost if the answers are not provided by the government.


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More than 4 lakh ‘Accidental Deaths’ reported in 2016 while deaths due to ‘Natural Causes’ decrease
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 17, 2019
The total number of accidental deaths in India was 4.18 lakh in 2016, slightly more than the 4.13 lakh reported in 2015. More than 8600 of these deaths were due to natural causes which is a 10-year low. Number of traffic accidents and number of deaths due to these accidents have both increased in 2016.
An accidental death is a deathcaused due to an unplanned event. This either could be a result of a naturaldisaster or due to an occurrence of deliberate or negligent human conduct. The NationalCrime Records Bureau (NCRB) publishes
a report annually– ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India’ (ADSI),which provides data on accidental deaths and suicides.
In this story, we analyse thetrends and details relating to accidental deaths as per the latest report i.e. ADSI-2016 report.
The rate of
Accidental deaths has reduced over the past two years
The number of accidental deathsfor the year 2016 was 4,18,221. This is a slight increase over the previousyear i.e. 4,13,457 in the year 2015. During the same time period, the estimatedpopulation of India grew from 125.91 crores to 127.39 crores. Hence the rate ofaccidental deaths has remained more or less constant i.e. 32.8 accidentaldeaths for 1 Lakh population.
The year 2014 recorded thehighest number of accidental deaths during the ten-year period ( 2007-2016)with 4,51,757 deaths. The rate was also the highest with 36.3 per 1 lakhpopulation. This was the highest after a period of gradual increase starting 2007when 3,40,794 accidental deaths were recorded. The year 2014 also saw thehighest increase in a year i.e. 51,240 more accidental deaths over the previousyear, increasing the rate of such deaths by 3.7 points.
Accidental
deaths due to ‘forces of nature’ have decreased
The year 2015 saw the sharpestdecline in the number of accidental deaths due to natural causes with 9,691 fewerdeaths than previous year. These deaths are a result of natural calamities.
In 2014, the total number ofdeaths due to such causes was 20,201 which reduced to 10,510 deaths in 2015.The fall in the number of deaths continued in 2016 with 8,684 deaths beingrecoded as accidents due to natural causes.
Over the 10-year period(2007-2016), the highest number of accidental deaths due to natural causes wasrecorded in 2010. This was also the only year where the number was higher thanthe previous year. The trend has been a declining one over the 10 years with2010 being the only exception.
Lightning
is the major natural cause for accidental deaths
Out of the 8,684 accidentaldeaths due to natural causes in 2016, the highest number of the deaths were dueto ‘Lightning’ which is a total of 3,315 deaths. Floods were the cause for thesecond highest number of deaths with 1,338. Meanwhile, 687 deaths were due to ‘Exposureto Cold”. Further 2,113 deaths i.e. 24.3% of the total have been listed ascaused by ‘other causes’ without any specific categorization.
There is no major change interms of the number of accidental deaths due to the major natural causes.  The number of deaths due to lightningincreased from 2,263 in 2012 to 3,315 in 2016. Similar trend is  observed with accidental deaths due to floods, where-in they increased from 420 in 2012 to 1338 in 2016.
The major dip in the number ofreported accidental deaths due to natural causes in 2015, can be attributed tothe dip in the numbers reported under ‘other natural causes’. Unlike in the caseof suicides, discussed in an earlier
story, there have been no new specific categories that havebeen added, which could have resulted in the numbers from ‘others’ moving tomore specific category. Hence the fall in the numbers remains a mystery, atleast under the ‘other causes’.
Traffic
Accidents are the major cause of Accidental Deaths due to Unnatural Causes
In the ADSI reports for 2014& 2015, the accidental deaths were reported under three Categories – ‘NaturalCauses’, ‘Unnatural Causes’ and ‘Other Causes’. However, in ADSI-2016 report, ‘UnnaturalCauses’ are clubbed under ‘Other Causes’, as was the case in the reports priorto 2014.
Accidental Deaths that are notdue to natural causes form a major portion of the accidental deaths. Thisnumber increased from 4,02,947 in 2015 to 4,09,537 deaths in 2016.  The year 2014 saw the highest number of accidentaldeaths in this category when 4,31,556 deaths were recorded. Except for 2015, thenumber of deaths in this category saw an increasing trend during the 10-yearperiod (2007-2016).
TrafficAccidents accounted for 43.4% of the total accidental deaths due to causes
not relating to nature. A total of 1,77,904 deathswere due to traffic accidents in 2016. Further 41,628 i.e. 10.2% of theaccidental deaths were sudden deaths. There have been 29,721 instances ofdeaths due to drowning while 23,094 people died due to poisoning.
1,984deaths in 2016 were due to Collapse of structure and 1,399 deaths were due tosuffocation. Around 5% of the accidental deaths were due to unknown causes. Nearly15% of the accidental deaths i.e. 61,170 deaths have reasons which do not fallunder the 21 categories that are mentioned in the report.
Road
Accidents have increased by 1.5 times over the Ten-year period
In2007, number of traffic accidents was reported as 1,31,652. Except for 2013,the number of traffic accidents increased every year.  The number of traffic accidents recorded in2016 is the highest during the 10-year period ( 2007-2016). The highestincrease in a single year was in 2008 when 1,44,587 accidents were reportedcompared to 1,31,552 in 2007  i.e. a 10%increase.
Roadaccidents form a major share of the traffic accidents. The other two categoriesas per ADSI report being ‘Railway Accidents’ and ‘Railway Crossing Accidents’.
In2007, there were 1,05,725 deaths due to road accidents. Over the ensuing 10years, the number of deaths due to road accidents increased every year (except2013). A total of  1,51,801 deaths werereported due to Road accidents in 2016.
Thetrends for Railway accidents have been inconsistent but the numbers do not havemajor variance. 27,765 deaths due to Railway accidents were recorded in 2013,the highest in these ten years. The year 2016 saw the least number of deathsdue to Railway accidents as well as the highest fall in a year i.e. 3,096.
Meanwhile,accidents at railway crossings have seen an increase with the trend beinginconsistent over 10 years. In 2013, this number was least (1,318 deaths)during the 10-year period and has increased in the subsequent years.
Lower
numbers reported under ‘Other Causes’ the major reason behind the fall in
overall numbers
Asnoted earlier in the article, the number of deaths reported under ‘OtherNatural Causes’ in 2014 was 14,024 which dropped to 3,114 in 2015 and to 2,113in 2016.
Similarly, 1,08,778 deaths were reported to be caused due to other causes not included in thecategories of ‘Unnatural Causes’ and ‘Other Causes’. The non-categorisedaccidental deaths were reported separately in 2014 under these two major heads.But since 2015, they are reported under one head of ‘Other Causes’. The number ofaccidental deaths which do not fall under any of the categories and groupedunder ‘Other causes’ were 64,227 and 61,170 in 2015
and 2016 respectively. No explanation for the fall in the ‘Other’numbers is found in the ADSI report.
Apartfrom this, the increase in the number of deaths due to road accidents, railwaycrossing accidents, floods etc. is a matter of concern.
Collecting& publishing the data related to accidents is one piece of the puzzle. Thecritical aspect is to use this information and act to mitigate the deaths dueto such avoidable accidents.

created: December 17, 2019


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More than 50% of the Convicts in Prisons by the end of 2017 were serving Life Imprisonment
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 29, 2019
By
the end of 2017, there were a total of 1.39 lakh convicts serving their
sentence in Indian prisons. More than 95% of these convicts were male and more
than 70% are those who were either illiterate or only studied up to Class X.
Data also shows that more than 50% of the convicts were serving life
imprisonment.
The age andeducation levels of under-trials as per the data in the Prison Statistics ofIndia for 2017 were discussed in an earlier
story by Factly. This story aims to lookat the social aspects of the convicts, their age, education, type of offenceand punishment.
Convicts, unlikeunder-trials, are those who have been found guilty of having committed a crime. Prison
Statistics of India for 2017 was released by the NCRB recently. As on 31 December 2017, there were a total of 4.5 lakh inmates acrossvarious jails in India. Convicts comprised of 31% of the inmates. Of the 1.39 lakhconvicts, 1.33 lakh (95.6%) were male and 6,051 (4.3%) were female convicts.
One-fifth of the total convicts were reported in Uttar
Pradesh
Uttar Pradeshaccounted for the largest
number of convicts in jails. Almostone-fifth the total convicts in Indian jails were in the jails of UttarPradesh. 20% of the male convicts and 17% of the female convicts in the countrywere reported in Uttar Pradesh. Also, 29% of the prison inmates in UttarPradesh are convicts compared to the national average of 31%.
Even if the numberof convicts in Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir,Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Telangana, Uttarakhand,Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Assam along with those from UTs of Andamanand Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Delhi, Daman and Diu and Pondicherry arecombined (23,239), which is convicts in 16 States & 5 UTs, the number isstill 15.4% less than the number of convicts in Uttar Pradesh (27,501).
Following UttarPradesh is Madhya Pradesh with 17,273 convicts or 12.4% of the all the convictsin India.  Maharashtra and Punjab havereported more than 9000 convicts each. It is also observed that the convicts inUttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab alone constitute 46% ofthe total convicts in the country.
Half of the convicts were those aged between 30 to 50
years
The age
group data of the convicts reveals that 50%of the convicts belonged to the age group of 30 to 50 years. Another 31%belonged to the age group of 18 to 30 years. Those who were 50 years of age andabove made up the remaining 19%.
While 51% of thefemale convicts were of the age group between 30 to 50 years of age, thosefemale convicts above 50 years of age accounted for 25% of the total femaleconvicts. The only male convict below 18 years of age was incarcerated in WestBengal.
92% of the convicts were imprisoned in their state of
domicile
92% of theconvicts belonged
to the state in which they werereported to have been imprisoned. Another 7% are those convicts who did notbelong to the state in which they were held captive while the rest belonged toanother country.
Bangladeshis comprised 63% of the foreign convicts in Indian
jails
Around 2,227convicts were those belonging to different
countries. 62% of the foreign convicts werereported in the prisons of West Bengal. Bangladeshis alone made up 63% of theforeign convicts. 283 people belonging to Nepal and 125 belonging to Myanmarwere also convicted.
More than 70% of the convicts were illiterate or
educated up to class X
Just like in thecase of under-trials, a large chunk (71%) of the convicts in prison wascomprised of those who were either illiterate
or were educated up to class X. Out ofthese, 42% of the convicts were educated below class X and the remaining 29%were illiterate.
Those who hadeducation equivalent to graduation, diploma and above accounted for 9%. Theremaining 20% comprised of those who had a qualification above class X butbelow graduation.
88% of the convicts were convicted for IPC crimes
Crimes committedby the convicts are broadly categorised as those committed under Indian
Penal Code (IPC) and those under Special
and Local Laws(SLL).  88% of the convicts committedcrimes under the IPC and the remaining under SLL.
Of those whocommitted crimes under IPC, 84% were convicted of offences affecting the humanbody like rape, murder, dowry death, kidnap and assault. More than 70,000convicts who were behind the bars were those involved in murder and a further 10,890were convicted for rape.
Uttar Pradesh accounted for largest number of convicts
for offences against women and SC/ST
Uttar Pradesh accountedfor 45% of the convicts in the country for dowry deaths. 22.6% of convicts formurder and 42% of those arrested for offences against SC/ST were also reportedin Uttar Pradesh. Maharashtra accounted for almost 11% of those convicted foroffences against property such as arson, burglary and theft.
The number of convictsheld for crimes against women was the highest in Uttar Pradesh. 26% (4847) ofthose convicted for crimes against women were in Uttar Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh,which reported the second highest number of convicts under the same headaccounted for 12.5% (less than half of Uttar Pradesh) of the total across thecountry.
Punjab had the largest number of convicts under liquor
and narcotics related acts
Under Special andLocal Laws, 9,637 convicts were imprisoned for liquor and narcotics under theProhibition Act, Excise Act and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic SubstancesAct. They made up for 7% of the total convicts and 57% of those convicted underSLL.
Punjab accountedfor the maximum number of convicts held for liquor and narcotics relatedoffences i.e. 3,993 out of the total 9,637 which is 41% of the total. In fact,those convicted under these acts made up for 41% of the total convicts inPunjab.
347 convicts in jail are those who have been sentenced
to capital punishment
Capital punishmentrefers to the most severe form of punishment in the country for the mostheinous and gruesome offences. In India, according to the Code
of Criminal Procedure, capital punishment isthe death sentence.
In 2017 alone, 121convicts were sentenced to capital punishment.A total of 347 convicts in the prisons by the end of 2017 were those sentencedto death. 19% of them were reported in Maharashtra followed by Uttar Pradesh(14%) and West Bengal (11%).
Almost 53% of theconvicts in the jails were those who were serving life imprisonment. Thoseundergoing sentence of 10 to 13 years accounted for 15% of the total convictsin jails.
Even after thecompletion of their sentence, a total of 1658 convicts were still detained inprisons for not paying the penalty imposed upon them. Around 1.18 lakh convictswere released in 2017 after their conviction period. Around 53,133 convictswere released on bail. About 3,372 convicts were reported to be suffering frommental illnesses in 2017.

created: November 29, 2019


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More than 50% of the Income of National Parties in 2017-18 from 'Unknown Sources' - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 24, 2019
Greater transparency in political funding has been a long standing demand of the civil society. Latest data compiled by ADR suggests that we are a long way from achieving transparency in political funding. In 2017-18, National parties received Rs. 689.44 crores from ‘Unknown Sources’ with electoral bonds making up for more than 30% of such unknown income.
Greater transparency in political funding has been a long standing demand of the civil society. Latest data compiled by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) suggests that we are a long way from achieving transparency in political funding. In 2017-18, National parties received Rs. 689.44 crores from ‘Unknown Sources’ with electoral bonds making up for more than 30% of such unknown income.
The Opaqueness in Political funding
Section 29C of the Representation of People Act (R.P. Act), 1951, mandates that all donations made to Political Parties by any individual or a company, in excess of Rs. 20,000 should be reported to the Election Commission (EC) before the due date. The issue with such a rule is that parties list the names of only such individuals/companies who donate in excess of Rs. 20,000. The donations below Rs. 20,000 do not have any record.  The Finance Bill of 2017 introduced a new provision that every donation of Rs. 2,000 or more shall be received only by way of by an account payee cheque or bank draft or use of electronic means. But the issue with this provision is that political parties still do not have to divulge details of the donor if the donation is less than Rs. 20,000. Hence there was no improvement in transparency.
The introduction of Electoral bonds in 2017-18 further exacerbated the problem of opaqueness in Political funding. As per this scheme, parties are not required to disclose the name of the person/entity donating to a party through electoral bonds. Since the bonds are bearer instruments and have to be physically given to the political parties for them to encash, parties will know who is donating to them. It is only the general citizens that will not know who is donating to which party. Hence Transparency in political funding is not enhanced because of electoral bonds. In fact, the bonds increase the anonymity of political donations.
More than 50% of the Income of National Parties in 2017-18 from ‘Unknown Sources’
In the year 2017-18, the National parties together reported an income of Rs. 1293.05 crores of which Rs. 689.44 crores came from ‘Unknown Sources’. In other words, more than 53% of the income of national parties in 2017-18 came from ‘Unknown Sources’. As expected, Electoral bonds made up for Rs. 215 crores or more than 30% of the income from ‘Unknown Sources’. The worrying aspect is that electoral bonds worth more than Rs. 800 crores are already bought in 2018-19 (as of December 2018). This would mean that the share of income from ‘Unknown Sources’ might go up in 2018-19.

created: January 24, 2019


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More than 60% of the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) still unspent
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 23, 2016
The National Telecom Policy (NTP) of 1999 lay down that the resources for meeting the Universal Service Obligation (USO) were to be generated through a Universal Access Levy (UAL). Till date, more than 60% of the UAL collections lie unspent.
The National Telecom Policy (NTP) of 1999 lay down that the resources for meeting the Universal Service Obligation (USO) were to be generated through a Universal Access Levy (UAL). The UAL collections are to be used for meeting the objectives of universal service. As of 31 August 2016, the UAL collection is a total of Rs 78590 crore, out of which only Rs 31177 is disbursed under Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).
Why USOF?
The NTP of 1999 had Universal Service as one of its main objectives. The idea was to a strike a balance between the provision of Universal Service to all uncovered areas, including the rural areas, and the provision of high-level services capable of meeting the needs of the country’s economy. The resources for meeting the Universal Service Obligation (USO) were to be generated through a Universal Access Levy (UAL), at a prescribed percentage of the revenue earned by the telecom licensees to be decided in consultation with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
Activities under USOF
Various activities were envisaged to be undertaken for the implementation of USO by all fixed service providers. The service providers were to be reimbursed from the USOF.  The Universal Service Support Policy came into effect from 1 April, 2002.
The following schemes/projects were undertaken under the USO in the past.
There are a few other ongoing schemes that are to be funded by the USOF.
Apart from the above schemes, support from USOF was extended to BSNL for rural Wire-Line connections installed prior to April 2002. The Union Cabinet recently approved a support of Rs 1250 crore to BSNL from the USOF.  BSNL also received the following support from the USOF for the rural Wire-Line connections in the past
The government has made it clear that the Rs 1250 crore would be the last & final payment for rural Wire-Line connections.
More than 60% of the USOF still unspent
The UAL collection has crossed Rs 78590 crore as on 31 August 2016. The highest UAL of Rs 9836 crore was collected in 2015-16. The UAL collection in the first year, 2002-03 was Rs 1654 crore. The UAL collection increased to more than Rs 3000 crore for the first time in 2004-05. It crossed the Rs 5000 crore mark in 2007-08. Since 2013-14, the average UAL collection is more than Rs 7000 crore.
Only Rs 300 & 200 crore was disbursed under USOF in 2002-03 & 2003-04 respectively. The highest amount disbursed under USOF was Rs 8549 crore in 2008-09. BSNL was reimbursed the license fees and spectrum charges amounting to Rs 6948.64 crore over the period 2002-03 to 2005-06 for fulfilling rural obligation. This amount was released in 2008-09, making it the year with highest disbursal of USOF. Though the fund disbursal under USOF has gradually increased, only Rs 31177 crore is disbursed till date, which is less than 40% of the UAL collections.
Featured Image: usof.in

created: September 23, 2016


text:
More than 70% of the under-trial prisoners are either illiterate or have studied only up to Class X
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 25, 2019
The NCRB’s 2017 report on prison statistics reveals that the proportion of under-trials in Indian prisons has gone up by about 5%. Out of the more than 3 lakh under-trials languishing in jails by end of 2017, more than 70% are either illiterate or those who studied only up to Class X, implying that most of these are from the disadvantaged communities.
The Prison
Statistics for 2017 by the National CrimeRecords Bureau (NCRB) revealed that Indian jails are over-crowded like in theprevious years. The occupancy ratio was 115.1% which in other words means that ina place which can accommodate 100 people, 115 people have been cramped. Primereason for the congestion is the incarceration of under-trials.
Some under-trials are confined to prisons for a longer-term than they may actually have to serve because of delay in court hearings or delay in investigation by police officers. Some private studies have also pointed out that it is the disadvantaged who make up the bulk of these under-trials. Imprisonment, especially if the under trial is proven innocent later, takes a toll on their health, social life and future prospects to lead a fruitful life.
Under-trials are those people who have been imprisoned while awaiting trial or waiting for the court verdict. They have not been convicted as yet. In 2017, the number of under-trials witnessed an increase of 5.3% compared to 2016.
Every 2 out of 3 prisoners is an under-trial
As on 31 December 2017, around 4.5 Lakh people were behind bars in India. Of this, more than 3 lakh prison inmates were under-trials. They constituted 68.4% of the total prisoners in India. The trend hasn’t changed in many years. More than 51% of the under-trials are in district jails and 35.8% in central jails.  Of the total under-trials, 96% of them are male and 4% are female. Among the female under-trials, 1,077 women had 1,252 children with them in prison.
Uttar Pradesh accounts for the maximum number of
under-trials
Uttar Pradesh hasreported the largest number of under-trials in prisons. More than 71% of the prisoninmates in Uttar Pradesh are under-trials. They accounted for 22% of the totalnumber of under-trials in India in 2017. Bihar and Maharashtra accounted for 11%and 8% of the total under-trials respectively. Together, these three statesaccounted for 41% of the under-trials in India in 2017.
70.2% of the under-trials were illiterate or had an
education only up to class X
The education profile of the under-trials further substantiates the fact that the majority of them are from the disadvantaged sections of society. As per the 2017 data, it is observed that 70.2% of the under-trials were either illiterate or had education only up to class X. About 20% had an education above class X but not graduation. Graduates comprised only about 6% of the under-trials. Those who were postgraduates (and above) and those with a technical degree or diploma together constituted to a little less than 3% of the under-trials in 2017.
91% of the under-trials were imprisoned in their own
state
About 2.8 Lakhunder-trials (90.8%) belonged to the state in which they were imprisoned. Therest of 26,000 odd under-trials did not belong to the state where they wereimprisoned in. A total of 2,250 under-trials were from other countries.
Of the foreign nationals, 25% were reported from West Bengal alone. Maharashtra reported 13.5% and Delhi reported 13%. Foreign under-trials comprised 46% of the foreign prison inmates in the country. Almost 50% of them were between 30 to 50 years of age. Among the foreign under-trials, 869 (38.6%) were from Bangladesh, 400 (17.7%) from Nepal and 444 (19.7%) from Nigeria. Other under-trials in significant numbers who are foreign nationals include those from Pakistan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
Majority of the under-trials between 18 to 30 years of
age
Majority (48.4%)of the under-trials belonged to the age group of 18 to 30 years followed by40.7% in the age group of 30 to 50 years. There were 46 under-trials in the 16to 18 years age group and 42 of them were incarcerated in West Bengal alone.
As of end 2017, more than 4700 under-trials had
completed a period of 5 years under confinement
More than onethird the under-trial inmates (36%) had been detained for less than threemonths as on 31 December 2017. Around 68,000 under-trials (22%) had been in thejail for a period ranging from 3 to 6 months and another 50,400 (16%) had beenimprisoned for 6 to 12 months.  Thus, atotal of 74% of under-trials were in prison for a period of 12 months or less.
4,786 under-trialshad already been in prison for more than 5 years as of 31 December 2017. UttarPradesh alone reported 36.8% of them. That is, 1,794 under-trials out of the4,786 were confined in the jails in Uttar Pradesh for more than 5 years.Gujarat and Maharashtra had reported 684 and 597 under-trials respectively whohad been in prison for more than 5 years.
Many cases of mental illness were reported
As per availabledata, a total of 3200 under-trials were suffering from mental illnesses with515 such cases in Uttar Pradesh, 401 in Maharashtra, 375 in Odisha and 314 inWest Bengal.
What
crimes are the under-trials booked for?
Under the IndianPenal Code, 2.43 lakh under-trials have been kept in prisons. The greatestnumber of under-trials, about 1.55 lakh persons have been taken into custodyunder offences affecting the human body with murder being the reason behind theimprisonment of 65,086 under-trials. Another 25,000 under-trials were thoseaccused of attempt to murder. More than 28,000 were accused of rape. Offencesagainst property such as theft, burglary, arson, etc. is the reason behind theincarceration of about 70,000 under-trials.
More than 65,000under-trials have been imprisoned under Special and Local Laws (SLL). Liquorand narcotic drugs were reported to be the most prominent reason behind the imprisonmentof under-trials under SLL. Almost 50% of those under-trials booked under SLLfall into this category.
Under Section 463A of CrPC only 0.5% of the
under-trials were released in 2017
In 2017, 14.45 Lakh under-trials were released. Of these, 13.15 Lakh were released on bail. The trial courts acquited another 85,839. Of this, 32,204 under-trials were acquitted in Karnataka alone. Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh had together acquitted 14,151 under-trials. About 21,078 were released on appeal to higher courts. Under Section 436-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1074 under-trials were released including 1062 male and 12 female inmates. Another 1773 male and 20 female under-trials were eligible for premature release.
What
is Sec 436-A of CrPC?
Section
436-A of CrPC was included in 2005.The law permits those under-trials who have been imprisoned for more than half ofthe maximum period of imprisonment specified for the offence under that law forwhich they are accused, to be released on their personal bond with or withoutsureties. In spite of such a provision, the number of under-trials beingreleased is considerably low. Less than 0.5% of the under-trials were releasedunder 436-A in 2017.
It was also observed that those who were illiterate or semi-literate were kept in prisons whether or not they were found guilty. Since 2016, the NCRB has not added the social background of the under-trials. However, data from earlier reports and other studies have reported that about 70% of the under-trials were those belonging to SC, ST or OBC groups. Despite the intervention of the Supreme Court, not much progress is seen in the release of under-trials under the existing provisions. It is high time that governments follow the directions of the Supreme Court in letter & spirit.
Featured Image: Under-trial prisoners

created: November 25, 2019


text:
More than 99% of the Juveniles apprehended for crimes in 2018 are Boys
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 23, 2020
As per the 2018 ‘Crime in India’ report, the number of crimes reportedly committed by Juveniles was more than 31000, down almost 6% compared to 2017. More than 99% of the juveniles apprehended for these crimes are boys.
Juvenile delinquency or criminal activity by children below the age of 18 years continues to be a topic of discussion following the involvement of a juvenile in the Nirbhaya gang rape case that shook the nation in December 2012. The latest ‘Crime in India’ report published by NCRB  for the year 2018 stated that a total of 31,591 crimes committed by juveniles were reported in 2018. Maharashtra alone accounted for 19% of these cases.
Maharashtra reported maximum number of cases committed
by Juveniles in 2018
The number of ‘Juveniles in conflict with law’, according to NCRB,  reflects the reported number of crimes committed by children below 18 years of age. Maharashtra reported the largest number of cases under this category in 2018, accounting for almost 19% of the national total. Not far behind, Madhya Pradesh accounted for 16.6% of the crimes. Incidentally Madhya Pradesh reported the greatest number of such cases in 2017. Delhi with 8.6% of the cases was third in the list.  The top 10 states together accounted for 81.7% of the cases in 2018.
Majority of the crimes committed by juveniles were
offences affecting human body and property
92% of the casesinvolving juveniles were IPC related crimes. The maximum number of cases,including both IPC and SLL, were that of offences affecting human body (37.7%).This included hurt and grievous hurt (47%), rape (13%) and assault on women tooutrage her modesty (12%) among many others.
Property related offences amounted to 37.6% of all crimes involving juveniles. Theft alone constituted 70% of these offences followed by burglary constituting 16.8% and robbery accounting for 10%.
Cases under the POCSO Act, 2012 accounted for 45.4% of the cases under SLL.
91% of the juveniles had received at least primary
level education
Most commonlypresumed reason behind the involvement of juveniles in crimes is theireducation and parenting. The 2018 data reveals that almost 45% of the juvenilesinvolved in these cases were educated between matriculation and highersecondary. About 28% had education up to primary level. Some 9% wereilliterate.
85% of the juveniles involved were living with their
parents
The familybackground as per NCRB report is the set up in which a juvenile was living.While almost 85% of the apprehended juveniles lived with their parents, 9%lived with guardians and only 6% were homeless.
99.3% of the juveniles involved were Boys
99.3% of the juveniles involved in these cases were boys and around three-quarters of the juveniles were between 16 to 18 years of age. A total of 382 juveniles or about 1% of all were below 12 years of age.
Number of crimes involving Juveniles has decreased
since 2016
Overall, infifteen years, the number of crimes committed by juveniles has increased byabout 65%. During this period, 2016 saw the highest number of crimes byjuveniles. Since then, the number has decreased by 6% each year.
Number of juveniles between 16 to 18 years of age,
apprehended under IPC has decreased sine 2016
In the case ofjuveniles aged between 12 and 16 years, the number of them booked under IPC andSLL both dropped continuously since 2014. Except for 2016, the trend in thecase of those below 12 years of age also shows a similar trend.
In the case of juvenilesbetween 16 to 18 years, those booked under SLL crimes has increased between2016 and 2018 while the same under IPC has decreased by 13.8% since 2016. Priorto 2016, there was a mixed trend in this number.
One reason for the decrease in the number of cases in the 16 to 18 year age group could be the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act passed in 2015, which came into force in 2016. The Act was passed on the aftermath of the Nirbhaya case with the intention to act as a deterrent for children from committing such crimes. This act contains a provision which permits the court to hold a trial of a child aged above 16 years, as an adult after a preliminary assessment, in cases he has committed a heinous offence.
The law describesheinous offences as those offences which have a minimum punishment of sevenyears’ imprisonment under any law. Rape and murder are examples of such crimes.
However, with theavailable data, it cannot be concluded that the amendment mentioned above is solelyresponsible for this declining trend since the number under SLL increasedduring this period and certain SLL provisions also come under heinous crimes.
The juvenile is produced before a Juvenile Justice
Board for inquiry
A child who hasbeen apprehended for having committed an offence will be placed under a childwelfare police officer and then produced before the Juvenile Justice Board.Following an assessment, based on the kind of offence committed and itsgraveness, the Board decides whether the child can be sent home, should undergocounselling or be sent to a special home.
There are numerous factors which may influence a child to commit such crimes. It could be out of peer pressure, state of mind, drug abuse or even exposure to internet or television in addition to the socio-economic factors which can foster such a tendency. Parents, teachers, society and media, all have an important role in moulding children into adults and it is necessary that proper care and attention are given to children while they grow.
Featured Image: Crimes by Juveniles

created: January 23, 2020


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More than a Crore Passports issued in 2015, up 24.3% from 2014 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 21, 2016
According to the Government data, a total of 1.05 crore passports were issued in 2015, up 24.3% from 84.72 lakh issued in 2014. In the states, number of passports issued in Uttar Pradesh more than doubled from 2013 to 2015. Goa, Kerala, Delhi & Punjab topped the list when the number of passports issued is normalized for population.
Introduction of the Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) in 2010 has greatly reduced the time taken to get a passport issued. This is evident from the increasing number of passports issued every year. In 2015 alone, 1.05 crore passports were issued in the country, making it 9 passports issued for every 1000 population. This is 24.3% more than the 84.72 lakh passports issued in 2014.
Number of Passports issued on the rise
The number of passports issued in a calendar year crossed the 1 crore mark for the first time in 2015, where 1.05 crore passports were issued. In 2013, 71.02 lakh passports were issued while in 2014, 84.72 lakh passports were issued. From 6 passports issued for every 1000 population in 2013, it went up to 9 passports for every 1000 population in 2015.
Number of Passports issued in UP more than double from 2013 to 2015
Of the states, the more populous states had more passports issued except for states like Bihar, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh etc. The number of passports issued in Uttar Pradesh more than doubled from 6.08 lakh in 2013 to 13.36 lakh in 2015. In Maharashtra, the number rose from 8.04 lakh in 2013 to 11.87 lakh in 2015. Kerala has been consistently in the top despite a lower population. From 9.47 lakh passports issued in 2013, the number went up to 11.44 lakh in 2015 for Kerala. Other states like Gujarat, Punjab, Tamil Nadu also saw a substantial growth. The impact of bifurcation was evident on both the States of Andhra Pradesh & Telangana. From 7.75 lakh passports in 2013, the number in Andhra Pradesh went down to 4.52 lakh in 2015. This is due to the fact that bifurcation of the state took place in mid 2014. The number of passports issued in Telangana, on the other hand went up from 2.81 lakh in 2014 to 5.38 lakh in 2015.
Goa, Kerala, Delhi & Punjab on top
If the number of passports issued is normalized for population, then Goa, Kerala, Delhi & Punjab rule the roost. In Goa, 33.18 passports were issued for every 1000 population in 2013 which went down slightly in 2014 and again went up to 35.39 in 2015. In Kerala, this number went up from 28.38 in 2013 to 34.27 in 2015. Delhi saw this number going up from 18.8 in 2013 to 22.93 in 2015. In the case of Punjab, it went up from 16.49 in 2013 to a whopping 25.81 in 2015. Fifteen States/UTs were above the national average while the rest of them were below the national average. States like Bihar, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha & Chhattisgarh were in the bottom 10.
Two new steps to expedite the issue of Passports
As a part of the continuous efforts to expedite the process of issuing passports, the Ministry of External Affairs has announced two major changes in the process for first time passport applicants.
It has to be noted that no extra charge will be levied for these two changes.  Currently, there are 77 Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) in various States/Union Territories. Additionally, 19 additional Passport Seva Laghu Kendras (PSLKs) are being established out of which 10 are already functional.


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More than half of the 13 lakh motor vehicles recalled in the last 3 years are from Ford & Honda
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 8, 2015
After the Volkswagen controversy hit the front pages, focus is now on an official recall policy to be incorporated in the new Road Safety bill. While there is no official recall policy in India, more than 13 lakh vehicles were recalled since July, 2012 following the voluntary recall code of the SIAM.
Recall of faulty motor vehicles hit the front pages following the Volkswagen controversy, where cars were equipped with cheat devices to overcome emission norms. While Volkswagen has announced a voluntary recall of more than 3 lakh vehicles, it has to be noted that there is no official recall policy in India. The latest round of Volkswagen numbers are not part of this analysis.
Official Position on Recall of Motor Vehicles
Though there is no official recall policy as on date, The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has initiated steps for bringing in a mandatory Recall Policy. The upcoming draft Road Transport and Safety Bill 2015 contains the relevant provisions for recall of vehicles.
The Voluntary Code on Vehicle Recall
The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has announced a voluntary code on vehicle recall in July 2012. Since July 2012, whenever a safety defect which poses risk of accident or harm to the vehicle occupant is recognized in vehicles, the manufacturers conduct a voluntary recall and offer to rectify the vehicles free of charge. There is an increased among both vehicle users and vehicle manufacturers about.
Trends in Domestic Automobile Sales
As per data put out by SIAM, close to 1.98 crore motor vehicles were sold in 2014-15. More than 80% of these are two-wheelers. Commercial vehicles (including cars) were about 13%. The domestic sales have seen a continuous increase in the last six years. The sales grew from 1.23 crore in 2009-10 to 1.98 crore in 2014-15, a rise of more than 60% in six years. It is significant that while the two-wheeler sales have increased every year, the same is not true for all the other categories. The sales have decreased for all other categories in 2013-14.
94% of the recalled vehicles are four-wheelers
As per the data available with the government, more than 13 lakh vehicles have been recalled in the last 3 years since the voluntary recall code was introduced in 2012.  94% of these are four wheelers while only 6% of the recalled vehicles are two-wheelers. Close to 3700 Harley Davidson vehicles were also recalled during this period.
More than half of the recalled vehicles are from Ford & Honda
Out of the 13.6 lakh vehicles recalled till date, vehicles from Honda & Ford make up for more than 6.82 lakh (more than half). Honda Cars has recalled 3.65 lakh during this period followed by Ford (3.17 lakh). Maruti Suzuki recalled 2.07 lakh followed by General Motors (1.55 lakh). Mahindra & Mahindra recalled 1.5 lakh vehicles. Nine brands recalled more than 10000 vehicles during this period. Jaguar Land Rover recalled the least number of vehicles during this period (517). Hyundai Motors also recalled only 2437 vehicles during this period.
Honda City is the most recalled Vehicle
More than 2.77 lakh Ford Figo & Fiesta vehicles were recalled. General Motors (all types) recalled 1.55 lakh vehicles while 1.9 lakh Honda City vehicles were recalled. Of the various Mahindra variants, close to 1.26 lakh XUV500 were recalled. In Maruti Suzuki, 60315 Swift vehicles were recalled while close to a lakh Swift Dzire Vehicles were recalled. More than 94000 Honda Civic vehicles were also recalled.

created: December 8, 2015


text:
More than a Quarter of Cess collected under various names remains Unutilized for the intended purpose
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 5, 2016
The Swachh Bharat Cess is the latest addition to the growing list of cess collected by the government supposedly for various purposes. The data on cess collected and spent reveals that more than a quarter of the cess collected under various heads remains unutilized for the intended purpose.
‘Swachh Bharat Cess’ is the latest addition to the growing list of cess collected by the government under various names. The Swachh Bharat Cess at the rate of 0.5% is being levied on all services, which are presently liable to service tax. According to the government, the proceeds from this cess will be exclusively used for Swachh Bharat initiatives. While it might sound like a laudable step, the history of utilization of cess collected under various names does not inspire much confidence.
Cess for various purposes
Government collects Cess under various names, apparently for a specific purpose. Some of the different Cess collected by the government are explained below.
Universal Service Obligation Fund: The Universal Service Obligation (USO) Fund was set up in April 2002 for achieving universal service objectives emphasized in the National Telecom Policy (NTP) 1999. The Indian Telegraph Act 2003 gave statutory status to the USO Fund and laid down that the fund is to be utilized exclusively for meeting the Universal Service Obligation by providing access to basic telegraph services like public telecommunication and information services and household telephones in rural and remote areas. It also envisaged creation of infrastructure for mobile services in rural and remote areas, broadband connectivity to villages in a phased manner and induction of new technological developments in the telecom sector in rural and remote areas etc. The resources for meeting the USO Fund are raised through a ‘Universal Access Levy’ (UAL).
Research & Development Cess Fund: The Research and Development Cess Act was enacted in 1986 to provide for the levy and collection of a cess on all payments made for import of technology to encourage commercial application of indigenously developed technology, for adapting imported technology to wider domestic. The Act enables the creation of a Fund for Technology Development and Application to be administered by Technology Development Board (TDB) under the Department of Science & Technology.
Primary Education Cess: A non-lapsable fund for elementary education known as Prarambhik Shiksha Kosh (PSK) was created in 2005-06. The Primary education cess was imposed by the Finance Act in 2004 and the PSK is primarily funded by the cess. This fund is meant to meet the expenditure requirement for elementary education under the schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan and Mid-Day Meal Scheme.
Secondary and Higher Education Cess: The Secondary and Higher Education Cess (SHEC) was introduced in the Finance Act, 2007 to fulfill the commitment of secondary and higher education.
National Clean Energy Fund: National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) was established in 2010-11 for funding research and innovative projects in clean energy technology by levying a clean energy cess on coal produced in India and imported coal.
Central Road Fund(CRF): The cess on petrol and high speed diesel, collected as per the provision of the CRF Act, 2000, is utilized for  development and maintenance of National Highways, development of rural roads, development  and maintenance of  other state roads including roads of inter-state and economic importance and for improvement of safety at rail- road crossings, etc.
Cess on Feature Films: Under the Cine Workers Welfare Fund Act, 1981, the cess collected from the producers of feature films is used for the welfare of cine workers on welfare activities like a Group Insurance Scheme for cine workers, health care facilities including financial assistance for treatment of heart diseases, kidney transplantation and treatment of cancer, and financial assistance for education of the children of cine workers from first standard to professional degree classes.
Cess on Tea: The Proceeds from this cess would fund the development of Tea Sector.
Transfer/Utilization of the Collected Cess
Each of the above Cess is collected by the government and is then supposed to be transferred to the specific fund setup for the purpose. But according to the latest Annual audit report of the CAG, significant portions of the cess remains unutilized and not transferred to the fund/kosh setup for the purpose intended for.
Out of the 66117 crore rupees collected under the USO, only 26983 crores has been transferred to the USO fund. Large part of the Cess collected for Primary Education & Central Road Fund have been transferred or utilized. The status of the Secondary & Higher Education Cess is unknown since no fund was designated to deposit the proceeds of this cess. No scheme was also announced that would be funded by this cess. In the absence of such information, the CAG report feels that the diversion of funds cannot be ruled out.
100% of the funds collected under the Cess on Tea remained unspent for 2014-15 while 60% of the funds under USO collected since inception remain unspent. Close to 80% of the cess collected for research and developed also remains unutilized.
With such a track record, it is difficult to believe that the Swachh Bharat Cess would be utilized for the specified purpose.

created: January 5, 2016


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More than Rs. 28000 Crores Cess collected for Construction Workers' Welfare remains unspent
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 27, 2019
In 1996, two acts were passed to promote the welfare of building and construction workers. These acts mandated constitution of construction workers’ welfare boards at the state level and collection of 1% Cess on cost of construction. More than Rs. 28000 crores of cess collected in the last 20 years is still unspent.
In the PIL (W.P. (Civil) No. 318/2006) regarding the misuse and low spending of the ‘Building And Other Construction Workers Welfare Cess’, the Supreme Court issued a slew of directions to both the Central & State Governments. Among other things, the court directed mandatory social audits for the expenditure from this fund, constituting advisory & expert committees, extending other benefits, coming with a model welfare scheme for building & other construction workers.
The Building Workers Cess
Parliament enacted the ‘The Building And Other Construction Workers Welfare Cess Act’ in 1996 to levy and collect 1% to 2%  cess on the cost of construction incurred by builders to augment the resources of the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Boards. These boards are constituted in every state under the Building and Other Construction Workers Act of 1996. As noted by Factly earlier, these welfare boards are supposed to take up a variety of activities for the welfare of the workers. Though the act was passed in 1996, the actual implementation began in 2007.
Model Welfare Scheme for the Workers
Following the directions of the Supreme Court, the Government of India came up with a model welfare scheme for ‘Building and Other Construction Workers’ including an action plan for its implementation. The model scheme lays emphasis on easy registration of workers, life & disability cover, health & maternity cover, education, housing, skill development, awareness programs, pensions etc. The model scheme is supposed to be adopted by states and all the benefits listed in the scheme have to be extended to the workers.
Only about 60% of the Workers registered with the Welfare Boards
A total of 3.24 crore construction workers are registered across the country with these boards as of December 2018. According to the available state wise data, Uttar Pradesh with 42.1 lakh has the most number of registered workers followed by West Bengal with 31 lakh workers. Madhya Pradesh is third in the list with 29.96 lakh registered workers. Apart from these three states, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Telangana & Bihar have more than 10 lakh registered workers each. Another six states have more than 5 lakh but less than 10 lakh registered workers.  Big states like Bihar, Gujarat, and Jharkhand have fewer numbers of workers registered with the respective boards. Goa is the only state where less than 10000 workers are registered.
It is widely believed that the entire construction workforce is not registered with these boards because of lack of awareness and  stringent conditions like age criteria, 90 days of work etc. As per the National Sample Survey (2011-2012) estimates, there are 5.02 crore building & other construction workers in the country. Of these, 3.24 crore have registered with the respective state welfare boards till December 2018. In other words, only about 60% of the workers are registered with these boards.
Only 39% of the Cess is spent till date
As per the data released by the government, only Rs. 17,869 crores has been spent by the welfare boards out of the total of Rs. 46,118 crores Cess collected till December 2018. This is only 39% of the total cess collected. In other words, more than Rs. 28,000 crores collected in the name of the workers welfare lies unspent. Only 12 States/UTs have spent more than half (50%) of the cess collected. Kerala is the only state to have spent more than 100% of the cess collected. In all, 14 States/UTs spent a greater percentage of cess compared to the national average of 39%. Of the bigger states, Maharashtra & Gujarat each spent less than 10% of the cess collected till December 2018. In fact, both these states account for close to Rs. 8000 crores of unspent cess.
Featured Image: Labour Welfare

created: February 27, 2019


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Morphed ABP 'Breaking News' template shared as Rahul Gandhi stating his family affiliation to Muslims - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 9, 2020
An image with ‘Breaking News’ templates of ABP news channel is shared on social media with the following quotes attributed to  Rahul Gandhi– ‘Congress Party belongs to Muslims and will remain theirs’ and ‘My ancestors were Muslims, I am Muslim’ (English translations). Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
The ABP news channel has telecasted Rahul Gandhi’s comments, who said that he and his ancestors are Muslims, and his party belongs to Muslims.
Fact: The ABP news channel ‘Breaking News’ in the image is photoshopped. The font used by the ABP in its ‘Breaking News’ template is different from the font in the posted image. Also, the ABP news channel itself had debunked one of the quotes. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched if ABP news channel has telecasted any such comments attributed to Rahul Gandhi, it was found that ABP news itself had already debunked the claim  – ‘मेरे पूर्वज मुस्लिम थे मैं मुसलमान हू: राहुलगांधी’. In a tweet, the ABP news channel clarified that it did not telecast the quote and the ‘Breaking News’ template is doctored.
#Urgent: This is to notify that the attached media which is being circulated online has been doctored with our channel's template. The information about Sh. Rahul Gandhi's statements, which these images carry have not been reported by ABP & have no relation with ABP News Network. pic.twitter.com/qYU2sJXqsl
Also, no information regarding the telecast of the other quote (‘कोग्रेस मुस्लिमों की है और उनकी ही रहेगी’) by the ABP news channel was found. On comparing the text in the ‘Breaking News’ template with the text in the actual ‘Breaking News’ template of ABP news channel, the differences in the font can be observed. Also, the word ‘कांग्रेस’ is mispelt as ‘कोग्रेस’.
Also, during the search process, it was found that there is a controversy whether Rahul Gandhi has made such a statement. When a similar claim was made by a newspaper previously, Congress leaders have denied the claim. FACTLY could not independently verify the authenticity of that quote, but from the above findings, it can be concluded that the ‘Breaking News’ template of ABP news channel with that statement of Rahul Gandhi is photoshopped.
Earlier, when few social media posts claiming Rahul Gandhi family’s affiliation to Muslims have gone viral, FACTLY has debunked them and the relevant fact checks can be read here, here and here.
To sum it up, the ‘Breaking News’ templates of ABP news channel in the image about Rahul Gandhi’s and Congress Party’s affiliation with Muslims is photoshopped.
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Morphed 'BBC News' tweet shared as Shah Rukh Khan promising to donate 'Pathaan' first-day collections to a Pakistan NGO - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 19, 2022
A screenshot of a tweet purportedly made by ‘BBC News Hindi’ is being shared on social media claiming that Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan referred to Pakistan as his second home and announced that the first day collections of his ‘Pathaan’ movie will be donated to an NGO in Pakistan, ahead of his upcoming release ‘Pathaan’. The post claims that Shah Rukh Khan’s co-actors in Pathaan, John Abraham and Deepika Padukone, have supported this decision taken by Shah Rukh Khan and said they do not have any fear of the boycott gang. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: A purported tweet of ‘BBC News Hindi’ reporting Shah Rukh Khan’s recent comments about Pakistan.
Fact: The tweet screenshot shared in the post is a morphed one. One could spot ‘Twitter for OKsatire’ text below this morphed tweet shared in the post. Shah Rukh Khan did not make any announcement about donating the Pathaan’s first-day collections to an NGO in Pakistan and BBC did not make any tweet reporting such comments from Shah Rukh Khan.  Also, Deepika Padukone too did not make any comments against those advocating boycott recently. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched to check whether ‘BBC News Hindi’ had reported any such news on their official Twitter handle, we could not find any. Also, on observing the tweet carefully, one could spot ‘Twitter for OKsatire’ text below this morphed tweet shared in the post. A comparison of a normal tweet on BBC’s official Twitter handle and the screenshot shared in the post can be seen below.
When we searched to check whether Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan had made any such announcement of donating the first-day collections to an NGO in Pakistan, we could not find any news report confirming this information. Shah Rukh Khan in multiple interviews revealed about his ancestral origins in Pakistan and said that his father is from Peshawar in Pakistan. Several news websites published articles reporting his family histor. They can be seen here and here. But lately, he did not make any announcement about donating the first-day collections of his Pathaan movie to a charity in Pakistan.
Following the boycott trends and online hate campaign over ‘Pathaan’, Shah Rukh recently at the opening of the Kolkata International Film Festival said, “social media is often driven by a certain narrowness of view that limits human nature to its baser self. I read somewhere that negativity increases social media consumption and thereby increases its commercial value as well. Such pursuits enclose the collective narrative, making it divisive and destructive.” Shah Rukh Khan during his speech gave a message about positivity but did not make any direct statement referring to the boycott demands. Lately, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham too did not make any statements against the boycott demand.
Earlier, when a few social media users made similar posts claiming that Shah Rukh Khan has donated 45 crores to Pakistan, FACTLY published a fact-check.
To sum it up, this purported tweet of ‘BBC News’ reporting Shah Rukh Khan’s promise to donate ‘Pathaan’ first-day collections to an NGO in Pakistan is a morphed one.

created: December 19, 2022


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Morphed ‘CNN’ news bulletin screenshot shared as Putin’s warning to India - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 28, 2022
A screenshot of a news bulletin purportedly telecast by the ‘CNN’ news channel is being shared on social media claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin had threatened India not to interfere in their ongoing conflict with Ukraine. The purported ‘CNN’ graphic features Putin’s picture with a quote, “Putin’s New Punch Line: India Should not Interfere, otherwise be ready to face the consequences”. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Russia threatened India not to interfere in their ongoing dispute with Ukraine.
Fact: The image shared in the post shows an edited version of an old ‘CNN’ news report published in November 2019. Russian President Vladimir Putin did not make any such statement threatening India not to intervene in their ongoing dispute with Ukraine. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the screenshot shared in the post, similar graphic visuals were found in a video published by the ‘CNN’ news channel in November 2019. ‘CNN’ published this video with the title, “Russian interference in U.S. elections now comedy fodder for Kremlin”. The original ‘CNN’ graphic features Vladimir Putin’s picture with a statement, “Putin’s New Punch Line: Top Russian official jokes about interfering in US Elections in 2020”.
‘CNN’ journalist Jake Tapper had tweeted this news report on 13 November 2019. On comparing the visuals, it can be confirmed that the image shared in the post shows an edited version of the old ‘CNN’ news report published on Russia’s involvement in the 2020 US Elections.
Amid the ongoing dispute with Ukraine, Russia threatened the US and other western countries that they will face consequences never seen in history if they intervene in their conflict with Ukraine. But neither Vladimir Putin nor the Russian Government had made any provocative statements against India in their ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
To sum it up, a morphed ‘CNN’ news bulletin screenshot is shared as evidence of Russian President Vladimir Putin having threatened India not to interfere in their ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

created: February 28, 2022


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Morphed footage shared as Yogi Adityanath's statement in support of the Thakur community - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 6, 2020
A screenshot of ‘Aaj Tak’ news channel footage is being shared on social media claiming it as the statement of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in support of the Hathras rape accused. In the screenshot, Yogi Adityanath purportedly stated that ‘ठाकुरों का खून गर्म होता है। ठाकुरों से गलतियां हो जाती है।’. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath made a statement in support of Hathras rape accused and Thakur community.
Fact: Screenshot shared in the post is a morphed version of original footage telecast in ‘Aaj Tak’ news channel on ‘02 October 2020’. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has never made a statement in support of the Hathras rape accused or the Thakur community. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
While searching for the relevant information related to these allegations, the original version of the ‘Aaj Tak’ news channel clip was found in a video posted by ‘Aaj Tak’ news channel on twitter. In the original footage, no statement of Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath in support of Hathras rape accused and of the Thakur community was telecast. At 0.56 seconds of this video clip, the original clip can be seen. Also, the text and the background of the screenshot in the post is different from the regular ‘Aaj Tak’ news channel broadcast.
In a fact-checking article published by ‘Aaj Tak’ fact-checking group, they clarified that the screenshot of Yogi Adityanath’s statement in support of Thakur community is a morphed version of original footage telecast in ‘Aaj Tak’ news channel on ‘02 October 2020’.
To sum it up, the ‘Aaj Tak’ news channel screenshot of Yogi Adityanath’s statement in support of the Thakur community is morphed one.

created: October 6, 2020


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Morphed Hindustan Times paper clip shared as an advertisement of 'PM Modi Missing' - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 17, 2021
A social media post is being widely shared claiming that an advertisement on the front page of ‘Hindustan Times’ newspaper had content that said ‘PM Modi was missing’. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Advertisement in the Hindustan Times shows PM Modi missing.
Fact: The image in the post is an edited one where the advertisement on PM Modi missing was inserted. The original 07 May 2021 edition of the Hindustan Times e-paper, in which the claim was added, does not have the advertisement. In fact, the article titled, ‘Court a Public Space, Coverage Part of Freedom of Speech, says SC’ was in the place of this advertisement. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched for the previous editions of Hindustan Times newspaper for any trace of advertisements on Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he was missing, we found none. However, we found out that the Hindustan Times e-paper published on 07 May 2021 was exactly like the image accompanying the post which was edited to insert the advertisement on the Prime Minister.
The advertisement was edited onto the original paper replacing the article titled ‘Court a Public Space, Coverage Part of Freedom of Speech, says SC’, making no changes to the other articles present on the front page of the newspaper.
Amidst the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of India and PM Modi have been facing criticism from opposition and the media. Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi had tweeted that PM Modi was missing along with vaccines and oxygen. The Outlook Magazine in its latest (dated: 24 May 2021) front cover used the headline ‘MISSING’, taking a shot at the Government of India and its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 !!!#OLMag | Latest Outlook cover evaluates ModiGovt@7, featuring articles by some of the best known voices- @pbmehta @ShashiTharoor @MahuaMoitra @manojkjhad @vijai63
Out on the stands soon.
Please subscribe: https://t.co/BIlYUhT7Yh pic.twitter.com/AIMu5pmJfT
To sum it up, morphed paper clip is being shared as advertisement of ‘PM Modi missing’ in the Hindustan Times newspaper.


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Morphed image shared as a truck carrying anti-Congress message on its signboard - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 11, 2021
An image of a truck carrying the message ‘डीज़ल पे चलती हूँ, भाड़ा सही लगाऊँगी। सोनिया-राहुल के तरह, दलाली नही खाऊँगी।‘ (which translates to ‘I will go on diesel, I will charge the fare correctly. Not like Sonia and Rahul Gandhi who enjoys the wealth of people by doing brokerage) on its signboard is being shared on social media. Let’s verify the claim made on the post.
Claim: Photo of the truck carrying an anti-Congress message on its signboard.
Fact: The photo shared in the post is an edited one. The original photo shows no text on the back of the truck. The same photo of the truck was earlier shared with a morphed message against PM Narendra Modi and the BJP government. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo of the truck is found in an article published by ‘BIANOTI’ website. In the original photo, there is no text as claimed on the backside of this truck. This original photo also found on a blog. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the image shared in the post is a morphed one.
Earlier, a similar image of the truck was shared with a morphed signboard carrying a message against  PM Narendra Modi and the BJP Government. They can be seen here and here. ‘The Times of India’ published a fact-check article on this morphed image of the truck carrying an anti-Modi message.
To sum it up, a morphed image is falsely shared as the truck carrying an anti-Congress message on its signboard.


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Morphed image falsely shared as Mukesh Ambani's picture inside PM Modi's office - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 10, 2021
An image showing Mukesh Ambani’s picture hanging on the wall at PM Narendra Modi’s office is being shared on social media claiming it as proof of Narendra Modi being a slave of the Ambani family. This photo shows Narendra Modi meeting with former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar at his office. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Mukesh Ambani’s photo on PM Narendra Modi’s office wall.
Fact: The photo shared in the post is morphed. The original photo actually shows scenery displayed on the wall inside PM Modi’s office. This photo was taken on 19 May 2017 during Sachin Tendulkar’s meeting with PM Narendra Modi. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found in the ‘India TV’ article published on 19 May 2017. The original photo shows a scenery picture hanging on a wall inside PM Narendra Modi’s office. This photo was taken on 19 May 2017 during Sachin Tendulkar’s meeting with PM Modi at his office. Sachin Tendulkar met PM Narendra Modi to brief him on the movie ‘Sachin: A Billion Dreams’. The original photo was also found to be published by several other news articles. They can be seen here and here.
PM Narendra Modi and Sachin Tendulkar shared the photos of their meeting on their official Twitter handles. Those tweets can be seen here and here. Picture of Mukesh Ambani was not found in these tweets.
Had a very good meeting with @sachin_rt. His life journey & accomplishments make every Indian proud & inspire 1.25 billion people. pic.twitter.com/qqUYB3qEez
To sum it up, a morphed image is being falsely portrayed Mukesh Ambani’s photo inside the PM Narendra Modi’s office.


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Morphed image is shared as anti-Sharia signboard displayed at India border - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 30, 2021
An image is being shared on social media claiming it as the picture of the anti-sharia signboard placed at the Indian side of the India-Pakistan border. This purported signboard states, “YOU ARE ENTERING INTO A SHARIA-FREE ZONE. PLEASE SET YOUR WATCHES FORWARD 1400 YEARS”. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of anti-Sharia signboard placed at the Indian side of India-Pakistan border.
Fact: The photo shared in the post is a morphed one. The original photo shows a different warning signboard at the US-Mexican border.  This signboard was placed at San Luis city in Arizona, United States. This signboard warns against illegal firearms trafficking into Mexico. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar signboard photo was found in a photo essay article published on the ‘Latin Dispatch’ news website, on 15 September 2010. But, the text on the original signboard reads, ‘Warning/ Weapons and Ammunition is illegal in Mexico’. This signboard warns against illegal firearms trafficking into Mexico. The original signboard has not mentioned anything about Sharia law. The ‘Latin Dispatch’ article reported it as the warning signboard placed at the US-Mexican border. This signboard was reportedly shot by a US reporter named Molly O’ Toole, at San Luis city in Arizona state, United States. Molly O’ Toole shot this photo during his 852-mile trip from California to Arizona in 2010.
Similar signboards warning against illegal firearms trafficking are found at various places along the US-Mexico border. Those images can be seen here and here. When this signboard was digitally altered and shared with different contexts on social media, ‘Snopes’ published a fact-check article in 2018.
Also, ‘PIB Fact check’ has issued a clarification regarding this image on 26 July 2021. PIB mentioned that the image was digitally altered and clarified that the Indian army had not placed any such signboard at the India-Pakistan border.
An image claiming that an 'Anti-Sharia' signboard has been put up at the India-Pakistan border is doing the rounds on social media #PIBFactCheck:
▶This image has been digitally altered
▶No such signboard has been put up at the India-Pakistan border pic.twitter.com/yb7qUddFE2
To sum it up, a morphed image is shared as the Indian army anti-Sharia signboard at the India-Pakistan border.


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Morphed image is shared as that of jailed ex-PM of Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 27, 2021
A video is being widely shared on social media claiming that the woman behind bars is Aung San Suu Kyi. The person in the video claims that the woman is an ex-Prime Minister (State Counsellor of Myanmar) of Burma and that she is in this situation because of her treatment of ‘Burma and Rohingya Muslims’. Let us fact-check the claim made in the video.
Claim: Photo of jailed ex-PM of Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Fact: This photo does not show ex-PM of Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi, and is a morphed version of a 2019 image published in an article. On 01 February 2021, the military in Myanmar (called Tatmadaw) seized control and declared a year-long state of emergency. After the coup, the Myanmar junta showed the first images of Suu Kyi in May 2021. But these images do not match with the picture in the video. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the screenshots of the video, an article published on 28 August 2019 was found. The article titled, “Aging in Prison: The Forgotten Plight of Women Behind Bars” has an identical background when compared to the picture in the video.
On 01 February 2021, the military in Myanmar (called Tatmadaw) seized control and declared a year-long state of emergency. This was done following a general election where Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) had won by a landslide. In 2015, Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD won the first openly contested election in 25 years, she was forbidden from becoming President because she has children who are foreign nationals. ‘Her official title was state counsellor, equivalent to that of a Prime Minister. The President until the 2021 coup, Win Myint, was a close aide.’ Articles about this can be read here, here, and here.
After the coup, the Myanmar junta showed first images of Suu Kyi in May 2021. But these images do not match with the picture in the video.
To sum it up, a morphed picture is being shared as an image of the jailed ex-PM of Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi.


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Morphed image of PM Modi & Amit Shah wearing Islamic caps is being linked to West Bengal Assembly elections - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 2, 2021
An image showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah wearing skull caps is being shared on social media claiming it as the cheap tactic of the BJP to grab the minority votes in West Bengal. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah wearing Islamic skull caps ahead of West Bengal assembly elections.
Fact: The photo shared in the post is a morphed one. In the original photo, PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have do not wear skull caps. This photo was shot while Narendra Modi and Amit Shah were leaving the late Arun Jaitley’s residence in New Delhi. This photo has nothing to do with the West Bengal Assembly elections in 2021. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a photo with a similar visual of PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah was found in an article published by the ‘News 18’ website, on 28 August 2019. In the original photo, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah did not wear skull caps. The description of the photo states ‘PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah leave after paying their condolence to the family members of Former Finance Minister late Arun Jaitley, at their residence in New Delhi’.
The original photo was found in several other news articles published in 2019. They can be seen here and here. Also, this photo was published on the ‘Getty Images’ website with a similar description. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the photo shared in the post is a morphed one.
To sum it up, a morphed image of PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah wearing skull caps is being linked to the West Bengal Assembly elections.