AAP leaders in favour of strong anti- stalking law
New Delhi, March
8: The AAP will constitute a committee of experts and its legislators to see whether an antistalking bill can be brought in the Delhi Assembly, its women wing chief Richa Pandey Mishra said on Thursday. The party has also been holding discussions with legal experts on the issue. A suggestion was made by experts to amend the Indian Penal Code to make stalking a non- bailable offence, she said, adding that the AAP, along with other parties, would also push for a similar legislation at the central level. The panel will submit its recommendations to the AAP government. In 2015, 83 per cent of the accused of stalking got bail due to flexibility of the law, she added. “Criminals who pursue women get easy bail due to lack of strict laws. The incidents of acid attack, rape or murder on women are on the rise and a strong antistalking law can help in curbing such incidents,” the AAP leader said on International Women’s Day. The women’s wing of the party held a daylong discussion in this regard on Wednesday, which was attended by Labour Minister and AAP’s Delhi convenor Gopal Rai and representatives of different NGOs. There should be strict laws for crimes such as stalking, Mr Rai said. “Simultaneously, it is also necessary to run a campaign. Men and women need to discuss together this because both of them are affected by it,” Mr Rai added.