NEW DELHI: A petition has been filed in the Kerala High Court on Friday seeking a declaration that the practice of non-therapeutic circumcision on male children is illegal and a non-bailable offence, as the ritual is "cruel, inhuman, and barbarous, and it violated the valuable fundamental 'right to life'".
The plea, filed by Kollam-based organisation 'Non-Religious Citizens', also sought a direction to the Union government to consider enacting a law to prohibit practice of male circumcision.
The petitioners, who claimed to be social activists, contended that the practice of circumcision is a human rights violation against children, besides the circumcision also led to several health problems, including trauma.
"The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989 and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adopted by the General Assembly of the UN to which India is a member and signatory, by virtue of its provisions emphasise that all children have the right to live in a secure, loving environment, free from any form of harm, assaults, abuse and discrimination," it said.
Each member of the covenant is duty-bound to ensure that any person whose rights or freedoms recognised in the covenant is violated has an effective remedy, it added.
The plea further pointed out the practice of circumcision is compelled to be done on the children, not as their choice but because of the unilateral decision taken by the parents, wherein the child is having no option.
This is a clear violation of the provisions of the international treaties, the plea claimed.
The petitioners also alleged that several incidents of deaths of infants have happened in the country due to the practice of circumcision.
"Parents cannot impose their religious beliefs, associated with circumcision, on their children. It was a torture perpetrated on the children," the plea said.
