HC takes suo motu notice of sexual crime against women

CHANDIGARH: A Punjab and Haryana high court woman judge has taken cognisance of sudden increase in the incidents of sexual offences against women in Punjab and Haryana.

The HC judge, justice Daya Chaudhary, observed that such incidents are a sad reflection on the attitude of indifference of the society towards violation of human dignity of the victims of sex crimes.

Justice Chaudhary also took note of media reports on a suicide by a Mewat girl on May 3, who was abducted and gangraped. Chaudhary has posed around 25 queries for Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh administration for taking steps to curb such incidents. The matter has been referred to acting chief justice for appritate action on judicial side.

The queries posed by the court includes reasons behind sudden increase in sexual offences, problems faced by the police in dealing with complaints, whether the fall in sex ratio is cause behind it, steps taken to use scientific methods in investigation of such cases, possibility of installation of CCTV cameras in public places, factors that lead to sexual offences, deployment of counsellors or introduction of sex education in the school curriculum and support given to victims of crime.

“A murderer destroys the physical body of the victim, a rapist degrades the very soul of the helpless female,” the justice has remarked in her note.