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{The lesser known laws in India}

Author - Associate Runa Jasia 

{The lesser known laws in India}

There are many laws which are not even known in India. People of India don’t even know that they are breaking laws and rules by doing such an act. Lesser known laws in India:

1.    Littering  {The lesser known laws in India}

Making streets untidy with rubbish and a large number of chunks left lying behind is an offense. People in large numbers don’t know about this law particularly. They even throw garbage and chunks on the streets and have no idea that it is an offense and punishable crime to do so. They also have to pay fine if somebody complained regarding them littering the streets. One can spend a large amount of fine or even can go to jail for this crime. In some Indian cities, urinating and spitting in a public area is also a crime.

2.    Downloading free movies {The lesser known laws in India}

Many people download and upload videos, songs, etc., for free from the internet. It is against the Indian Copyright Act, 1957. The Copyright Act, 1957 protects original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works and cinematograph films and sound recordings from unauthorized uses. Nobody can upload or download such contents. Many people download free movies from such websites and watch it for free. People who upload any such copyright content are also contributing themselves to this criminal offense. Any form of musical work, artistic work, etc., comes under this category. The Indian government has also blocked some of the websites from the internet for doing such an act. Only the owner of the content has the right to sell their copyrights to anybody. People can even go to jail for this punishable offense.

3.     Loud noise/sound {The lesser known laws in India}

According to the Noise Pollution Rules, 2000, which applies to the whole of India, there are restrictions on playing loud music publically as it affects people and environment both. Written permission from the relevant authority is needed to play loud music in a loudspeaker or a public address system. A speaker or public address system shall not be used at night (between 10.00 p.m. to 6.00 a.m.) except in closed premises for communication within, e.g., auditoria, conference rooms, etc. People even start playing music in loud sound publicly during festivals in India. Noise pollution affects health adversely. It affects ears also. There are various categories of areas or zones in which limits are defined. 

The four zones are industrial zone, silence zone, commercial zone, and residential zone. Silence zone is as an area comprising not less than 100 meters around hospitals, courts, and educational institutions. The silence zones are zones that are declared as such by the competent authority.

4.    Anti-smoking laws {The lesser known laws in India}

According to the Anti-smoking law, smoking in a public area is banned from the year 2008. Minimum age of buying tobacco is 18 years. A penalty of INR 200 needs to be paid if found smoking in public. Smoking is not suitable for health at all. People tend to do show off by smoking in public area. Teenagers think smoking is cool. But it adversely affects their health. Even advertising any tobacco product directly or indirectly is banned. There are some designated smoking areas in pubs, hotels Etc. Public places include public offices, schools, colleges, parks, hospital Etc. There are around millions of smokers in India. People don’t even know about this law. They smoke publicly without knowing that it is not yet legal. More than millions of people die because of smoking in India. Even children tend to follow this habit, which is so bad for their health. 

5.     Crossing the speed limits {The lesser known laws in India}

It is an offense to exceed the driving speed as prescribed in that area. Up to INR 1000 can be asked for a penalty for over speeding the vehicle. Various places have various speed limits in India. According to the Rules of the Road Regulation of the Indian roads, this act was enacted in the year 1989. Following this rule can protect the lives of many people at a significant level. Such laws are enforced by issuing challans in the name of the offenders and teaching them a lesson by making them pay penalties. The violation of these Rules of Road Regulation is a punishable offense as per the city-specific traffic police rules and the Motor Vehicle Act.

6.    Maximum Retail Price {The lesser known laws in India}

According to the Consumer Goods Act, 2006, a consumer cannot charge more than the printed price of all the products. Many times shopkeeper fools people by telling the fake price of the products that he is selling. People must be alert and always see the prices of all the goods before buying them. Nobody has the right to take price more than the printed price of a particular product.
Even a person can bargain regarding the price of the product that they are buying from the shopkeeper.

{The lesser known laws in India}