The quest for justice for Nirbhaya and the public hailing of police action in Hyderabad (where the alleged rapist-murderers of a young woman were shot dead in an encounter last year) echoes a sentiment in the country that the guilty in a crime against women should be punished immediately, says the report of a standing committee on HRD on the safety of women, which was tabled in both houses of Parliament on Thursday. The report calls for strong and swift action within existing laws, and also corrections in certain laws to ensure swift justice.
The committee comprised of members from both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha and was chaired by MP Satyanarayan Jatiya.
The report pointed out that there were 1,023 fast track courts in the country, but their distribution across the states was skewed. In fact, states like Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh had not yet given concurrence for setting up fast track special courts. It also noted that these courts should work in a time bound manner, finishing a case within six months, so that they serve the purpose of being fast track.
The report also stressed on the need of using modern forensics in investigating crimes against women and suggested that a forensic laboratory should be set up in every state within the next two years. Forensic evidence is the most foolproof at present, but in the absence of forensic investigations, the conviction rate in crimes against women is 32 per cent, although in 86.6 per cent of reported rapes, chargesheets are filed.
'Safe City' mechanisms should be integrated into the 'Smart City' programmes for the 100 cities already underway, and there should be mandatory CCTV surveillance and panic buttons in all public transports across the country, the report recommended.
The report rued the fact that though a lot of money has been sanctioned by the government under various schemes, much remains unutilised. Of the Rs 7,436.66 crore in the Nirbhaya Fund, for instance, only Rs 2,647.89 has been disbursed so far. Similarly, in many states, only 20-30 per cent of the funds for One Stop Centres and Women's Helplines have been utilised. Hence, the report suggested that implementation of schemes under Nirbhaya Fund be overseen by a committee under the cabinet secretary.
It also suggested that gender sensitisation need to be given more importance and the subject should be emphasised in schools and colleges.
