Just hours after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sent a second letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging for stronger central legislation and harsher punishments for heinous crimes like rape and murder—particularly in light of the recent rape and murder of a Kolkata doctor—the Centre responded by affirming that the existing laws are already stringent enough to address violence and crimes against women.
Union Minister Annapurna Devi on August 30 asserted that existing laws were stringent enough to tackle violence and crimes against women and urged the West Bengal government to implement the same in "letter and spirit".
In her second letter this week to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Annapurna Devi, highlighted that the state has yet to operationalise the additional 11 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) designated for handling rape and POCSO cases.
Devi pointed out that while West Bengal has set up 88 Fast Track Courts (FTCs), these are not the same as the FTSCs included in the Central Government Scheme. Meanwhile, Banerjee has reiterated her call to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for stronger central legislation and harsher penalties for severe crimes like rape and murder.
Banerjee, who recently wrote to Prime Minister Modi following nationwide outrage over the rape and murder of a doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9, has called for mandatory provisions for time-bound disposal of rape and murder cases.
"In spite of the pendency of 48,600 rape and POCSO cases in West Bengal, the State has not operationalised additional 11 FTSCs which may be exclusive POCSO courts or combined FTSCs dealing with both rape and POCSO cases, as per the state's requirement," the Union Minister said in the letter to Banerjee.
"As may be seen, the information contained in your letter in this regard is factually incorrect and appears to be a step in the direction to cover up the delays in operationalising the FTSCs by the state," Devi said.
Regarding Banerjee’s call for permanent judicial officers in Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), Union Minister Annapurna Devi stated that the scheme’s guidelines specify that each FTSC should have one judicial officer and seven staff members dedicated solely to handling rape and POCSO Act cases. Devi emphasized that FTSCs cannot be assigned to permanent judicial officers or court staff with additional charges, a point she said had previously been communicated to West Bengal.
"Hence, an additional charge of FTSCs cannot be given to any permanent judicial officer or court staff. This position was clarified earlier to the West Bengal," Devi said.
On the issue of stringent legislation and severe punishments for heinous crimes, Devi reiterated that the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) already includes strict penalties for rape and cases involving murder.
Devi said the enactments by the central government are comprehensive and stringent enough to tackle the violence and crimes against women.
"If the state government follows the central legislations in letter and spirit, it will certainly have a lasting impact on strengthening the criminal justice system, bringing the perpetrators of such crimes to face the consequences commensurate with the offence and also in ensuring justice to the victims or survivors," the union minister said.
"I once again request you to ensure due sensitisation and positive approach of all duty holders at appropriate levels to ensure proper handling of cases with due care and attention to bring finality as per the timelines prescribed under the statutes," Devi said.
(with PTI inputs)
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
