New Delhi, August 31
Prime Minister Narendra Modi while attending an event on 75 years of Supreme Court stated that the country needs faster verdicts in cases of crimes against women to ensure their safety. The PM's comments came amid the outrage over the rape-murder of a woman doctor at a government hospital in Kolkata.
PM Modi said, “There are several laws in the country that address the issue of women's safety. In 2019, the fast-track courts law was passed, under which witness deposition centres were created. District monitoring committees play an important role. We must ensure these committees are further strengthened and that faster verdicts are delivered in cases involving women's safety”.
He notably mentioned, “Today, atrocities against women, the safety of children... are serious concerns of society. Many strict laws have been made in the country for the safety of women, but we need to make it more active. The faster the decisions are taken in cases related to atrocities against women, the greater assurance of safety half the population will get”.
PM Modi, at the Supreme Court event, also stressed that several steps have been initiated in the past 10 years to eliminate delays in delivering justice and to improve judicial infrastructure.
The Prime Minister made these remarks a day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to him, reiterating her request for stringent central legislation and exemplary punishment for heinous crimes like rape and murder. The Trinamool Congress supremo also said that she had written to the Prime Minister earlier but had received no reply from him on the "sensitive issue".
The central government, responding to Banerjee's letter, also stated that existing laws are strong enough to deal with such crimes and urged the state to act in letter and spirit.
