Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Asserting that implementation of various initiatives of the Centre to tackle crimes against women falls within the ambit of the States, the Union Women and Child Development Ministry on Monday faulted the West Bengal government for failing to establish courts to hear rape and Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act cases under a Centrally sponsored scheme.
In a letter to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi listed various provisions of the recently implemented Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which provide strict punishment for crimes against women.
โYou would appreciate that the existing legislative framework is stringent enough to tackle the violence and crimes against women. However, you would agree that effective implementation of these provisions of law as well as various initiatives of the Central Government for womenโs safety falls in the ambit of the State Government,โ she said.
Ms. Devi was responding to Ms. Banerjeeโs letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi dated August 22, in which the West Bengal Chief Minister sought a stringent Central law to combat crimes against women in the wake of the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkataโs R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, which had led to widespread protests.
The letter by the Union Minister dated August 25 further said that it was imperative that the State machinery was fully sensitised and geared up to take full advantage of the legal and schematic provisions made by the Central government for ensuring safety and security of women and girls in West Bengal.
She pointed out the West Bengal governmentโs alleged failure to implement crucial safety measures for women and girls, including setting up of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) allocated to it under a Centrally sponsored scheme, in spite of a pendency of 48,600 rape and POCSO cases.
The FTSC scheme, launched in October 2019, was designed to expedite the trial and disposal of pending cases related to rape and the POCSO Act.
Under this scheme, the Central government allocated 123 FTSCs to West Bengal, including 20 exclusive POCSO courts and 103 combined courts for both rape and POCSO cases. However, as of mid-June 2023, none of these courts had been made operational, she said.
Ms. Devi also criticised the State government for failing to implement key emergency helplines such as the Women Helpline (WHL), Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) and Child Helpline.
The Union Minister also urged the West Bengal government to take immediate and effective measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls.
