New Delhi: A week after writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking stringent rape laws and fast-track justice, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday wrote another letter to him reiterating her demand and hoped that the matter would receive considered attention in the interest of society at large.
In her fresh letter, Banerjee said that she wrote to PM Modi on August 22 seeking stringent central legislation on incidents of rape and exemplary punishment for perpetrators of such crimes but did not receive any reply from him on “such a sensitive issue”.
“However, a reply has been received from the Minister of Women and Child Development, Government of India, which barely attends the gravity of the issue raised in my letter. I am of the thought that the seriousness of the subject and its relevance to the society have not been adequately appreciated while sending out this generic reply,” she said.
Mamata highlights initiatives taken by state govt
Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress chief , further said the state government has taken several initiatives in the area “which appears to have been overlooked in the reply”.
“Regarding Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), 10 exclusive POCSO Courts have been approved by the State Government. In addition to this, 88 FTSCs and 62 POCSO designated Courts are functioning throughout the State on complete State funding. Monitoring and disposal of cases is completely in the hands of the Courts,” she wrote.
“As per Central government guidelines, only retired Judicial Officers can be posted as Presiding Officers in FTSCs but Hon’ble High Court has observed that in view of the severity of the cases, permanent Judicial Officers need to be posted. This requires examination at the level of Government of India and suitable action thereafter, for which your intervention would be necessary. Moreover, helpline Nos. 112 and 1098 are satisfactorily working in the State. In addition, Dial 100 is also extensively used in emergency situations,” she added.
Letter amid outrage over RG Kar case
The Chief Minister wrote the letter amid massive outrage and protests across the country over the alleged rape and murder of a woman trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.
She requested the Centre to consider a strict central law for heinous crimes of rape with exemplary punishment for culprits and mandatory provision for disposal of cases in a specific time-frame by the trial authorities. “I hope this matter would receive a very considered attention at your kind end in the interest of our society at large,” she said.
