21 days for probe and conviction under A.P’s Disha Act is “too less”: NCW chairperson

Doesn’t want governments to act in haste while dealing with a sensitive issue like rape; suggests three months for concrete result

The deadline of 21 days given to the police to complete investigation, and the courts to convict culprits in rape cases under the Andhra Pradesh’s new Disha Act is “too less”, said Chairperson of the National Commission for Women Rekha Sharma.

Speaking to The Hindu on phone, Ms. Sharma said the governments should get realistic and not fan public sentiments. “I welcome the Andhra Pradesh government’s move but I am apprehensive about the new Act’s effective implementation,” she said.

Fast track courts’ poor record

Ms. Sharma said fast track courts constituted by states in the past have not given the desired results, and cited the example of Madhya Pradesh. “Despite an alarming rise in atrocities against women, the convictions were very few, or none.” she pointed out.

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The women panel chief also expressed fears that the situation may give rise to new problems. Pointing out that the police not filing FIRs in many cases is an issue of concern. The problem may get exacerbated now since the department will have to complete the investigation within the stipulated time.

“There is a shortage of judges and how the State (AP) can implement the new law effectively in the given scenario is to be seen,” she said. “Three months’ time should be given for a concrete result. We don’t want governments to act in haste while dealing with a sensitive issue like rape,” Ms. Sharma added.

‘Need to revisit ethics and values’

Further, she attributed the alarming rise in atrocities against the fairer sex to failure at multiple levels. “We have failed at the individual level, as a family, and a society as a whole. We need to go back to our roots and revisit the ethics and values that were integral part of our lives in the past.”

Meanwhile, Swati Maliwal, chief of the Delhi Commission for Women, has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to replicate the Disha Act in the entire country. The Act mandates disposal of cases of atrocities against women within 21 days, and handing over the death penalty. Ms. Maliwal, who was on an indefinite hunger strike since December 3 demanding capital punishment for rapists within six months of their conviction, was rushed to the hospital on Sunday after she fell unconscious.