The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday issued ‘conditional summons’ to the Delhi Chief Secretary, the Delhi Police Commissioner and the Union Home Secretary, asking them to submit reports or personally appear before it on the impending release of the juvenile delinquent in the December 16 gang-rape case.
The NHRC asked all three officers to comply with its direction by December 21.
The Commission issued the summons as the three officers failed to file reports to its earlier notices. Taking cognisance of a complaint by the parents of the gang-rape victim, the Commission had on November 20 issued notices to these officers asking them to file reports.
The NHRC asked the Delhi Chief Secretary to inform it whether any pre-release and post-release plans, as per Rule 17(3) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Rules, 2007, had been prepared in the case of the juvenile. It also directed the officer to apprise it whether the juvenile had been recently subjected to psychological or psychiatric assessment for assessing his mental health.
The Union Home Secretary shall inform about action, if any, taken on the representation submitted by the complainants to the Home Minister, the Commission said
The parents of the victim stated in their complaint that the juvenile, who was largely responsible for the death of their daughter and allegedly the most brutal of all the offenders, was supposed to be released sometime in December.
“Such persons are threat to the life and liberty of the common man. There should be a mechanism to keep a strict check on them so that people are not subjected to any risk of being harmed. Also, the laws dealing with women and children should be strengthened,” the complaint said.
The victim’s parents have requested the Commission to recommend that the government prepare a plan to protect the citizens from such delinquent juveniles post their release.
Referring to the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) operational in the United States, Canada and other countries, they demanded that a similar law be framed in India. The Commission observed that “there is no doubt the complainants have undergone extreme agony and pain after the rape and murder of their daughter. The fears expressed by them need to be looked into”.
