The Bombay high court (HC) will now regularly be keeping tabs on whether the state government is implementing each of the accepted recommendations of the C S Dharmadhikari committee, which was set up to suggest measures to prevent crimes against women.
The Bombay high court (HC) will now regularly be keeping tabs on whether the state government is implementing each of the accepted recommendations of the C S Dharmadhikari committee, which was set up to suggest measures to prevent crimes against women.
The recommendations cover a range of issues like stepping up police patrolling, checking human trafficking, and preventing arrests of women, children and senior citizens at night.
A division bench has started to minutely examine the recommendations. During the last hearing, the bench noted that while some recommendations are being implemented, a few still need to be effected.
Regarding one of the recommendations regarding the arrest of women, children and senior citizens at night, the bench said, "We find that the same has been complied with by issuing guidelines on October 30, 2012. However, they do not cover the cases of old persons. The state government will have to issue guidelines regarding the arrest of old persons."
Another recommendation deals with police patrolling in sensitive areas, to which the government responded by only saying that action will be taken accordingly. "State will have to make a categorical statement on whether any action has been actually taken, without disclosing the details," said the court.
The HC also directed the government to come up with a programme to detect human trafficking carried out in different forms and under various names, since the committee has suggested better implementation of section 18 (closure of brothel and eviction of offenders from premises) and 20 (removal of prostitutes from any place) of the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act. The court felt the state's response to this was vague.
Replying to a statement by the government with regard to providing help centres at railway stations and state transport bus depots, the court said, "Providing police help desks at railway stations is not sufficient."
The court has now decided to take up each recommendation and verify the state's response on a biweekly basis.
The C S Dharmadhikari committee
The C S Dharmadhikari committee was set up by the Maharashtra government in October 2010 to examine, among other aspects, the need to amend sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code. The committee had submitted five draft reports to the state home department. After studying laws related to crimes against women in the state and the country, the committee made 144 recommendations, of which the government accepted 109. A task force under the chairmanship of the secretary (special) of the home department has been formed to study the amendments suggested for existing laws.
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