Case Filed Against Poison Remark on Yamuna Water

• 30 Jan 2025

Why in News? 

The Haryana government filed a case against the political party leader in Sonipat Chief Judicial Magistrate Court under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 over his claim that Yamuna water from Haryana contained "poison." 

Key Points 

• Complaint Filed Under: 
  • Section 54, Disaster Management Act, 2005: Punishment for creating false alarms about disasters (up to 1-year imprisonment or fine). 
  • Sections 353 & 356 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023: Public mischief and defamation. 
• Election Commission’s Involvement: The Election Commission sought evidence regarding the claim, asking for a factual and legal basis. 

 Disaster Management Act, 2005 

• About: 
  • The Disaster Management Act, 2005 was passed by the government of India in 2005 for the ‘efficient management of disasters and other matters connected to it. However, it came into force in January 2006. 
• Objective: 
  • To manage disasters, including preparation of mitigation strategies, capacity-building.  
    • Definition of a “disaster” in Section 2 (d) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 states that a disaster means a “catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in any area, arising from natural or man made causes. 
• Major Features of the Act: 
  • Nodal Agency: The Act designates the Ministry of Home Affairs as the nodal ministry for steering the overall national disaster management. 
  • Institutional Structure: It puts into place a systematic structure of institutions at the national, state and district levels. 
  • National Level Important Entities: 
    • The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA): It is tasked with laying down disaster management policies and ensuring timely and effective response mechanisms. 
    • The National Executive Committee (NEC): It is constituted under Section 8 of the Act to assist the National Disaster Management Authority in the performance of its functions. 
      • The NEC is responsible for the preparation of the National Disaster Management Plan for the whole country and to ensure that it is reviewed and updated annually. 
    • The National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM): It is an institute for training and capacity development programs for managing natural calamities. 
    • National Disaster Response Force (NDRF): It refers to trained professional units that are called upon for specialized response to disasters