Torture and the Law: An Indian perspective

Torture of a fellow human being by another human being is essentially an instrument to impose the will of the ‘strong’ over the ‘weak’. Over the years, the incidence of torture has only increased, with the methods becoming highly complex, involving psychical and/or physical exhaustion. These include deprivation of sleep, food and drink; sometimes combined with forced physical activities or forced standing for hours or even days. Freedom of movement and perception is restricted by confining the person to a very small dark room and his self-esteem is eroded by deprivation of toilet facilities and clothing or by constant verbal abuse. Inspite of checks posed by various laws including the International Humanitarian Law, such inhuman practices continue unabated. This article describes the Indian scenario of this world-wide phenomenon, with a view to sensitize the readers about this scourge on the society.