India Behind 161 Nations, Including Pak, in Ratifying Treaty on Torture

 India stands behind 161 nations, including Pakistan, as it is yet to ratify the 30-year-old United Nations' Convention Against Torture by making a law on it despite signing it way back in 1997.

It may sound bizarre, but India is among the only nine countries worldwide which are yet to ratify this crucial convention, an essential condition for a signatory state to ratify the international human rights treaty.

This fact has been taken strong note of by the Supreme Court of India(SCI)which has asked the government why it was not making at least a "good faith commitment" about its intention to legislate in the matter.

"We do understand that the legislative process can take time, but tell us why can't you (Centre) make a 'good faith commitment' on the law before us," a bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar said.

"This is an extremely important issue in the national interest and moreover, there is no conflict," the bench, also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and S K Kaul, said.

The remarks were made when Congress leader and former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar pointed out that India was among the only nine nations left in the world which have not yet ratified the treaty despite signing it.

The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment', also known as United Nations Convention against Torture, is an international human rights treaty aimed to prevent torture and other acts of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment around the world.

The convention was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on December 10, 1984 and came into force on June 26, 1987 after being ratified by 20 nations

India, which became a signatory on October 14, 1997, is yet to ratify the global human rights treaty, ratified by over 160 nations like Pakistan and Afghanistan, as it has not yet enacted the law on torture.

The Convention needs nations to take effective steps to prevent torture in any territory under their jurisdiction and forbids them to send citizens to any country where they believe that the transported persons may be tortured.