A high-level delegation led by Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh reached Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday to finalise the blueprint of a Disha-like law [Andhra Pradesh Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2019] for the State.
The Maharashtra government is committed to bringing an Act on the lines of A.P.’s Disha Act for quick trial and judgment in cases of rape and acid attacks, Mr. Deshmukh said, following meetings with A.P. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and Home Minister Mekathoti Sucharita.
The Maharashtra delegation said it is committed to introducing a Bill in this regard in the Budget session of the State Assembly starting Monday. “I have come to Vijayawada to know about the direction of the efforts made by the Andhra Pradesh government to curb oppression of women. Our delegation has already met Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Mekathoti Sucharita for more detail on the nature of the law, the processes to be followed etc.,” Mr. Deshmukh said after the meetings.
The delegation, comprising Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sanjay Kumar, Director General of Police Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, Special Inspector General of Police Pratap Dighavkar, senior police officer Aswati Dorje and other senior officials, also met two A.P. women officers designated to implement the Disha Act. The Disha special officers, Dr. Kritika Shukla and M. Deepika, who have been instrumental in implementing the Act passed by the A.P. Assembly on December 13, 2019, informed the delegation of the impact of the Act so far, officials said.
In the wake of the incident at Hinganghat in Vidarbha earlier this month, where a 24-year-old lecturer was set ablaze by a married man, the Maharashtra government had decided to discuss the issue of women’s safety in the Cabinet. On February 4, the Cabinet set up a four-member committee comprising Mr. Deshmukh, School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad, Women and Child Development Minister Yashomati Thakur and Transport Minister Anil Parab.
The A.P. Act was formulated after the rape and murder of a veterinarian in Hyderabad late last year. The Act took its name from the one given to her prior to her death. It prescribes a death penalty for rape convicts in cases where there is conclusive evidence, within 21 days. It allows investigations to be completed in seven days and the trial to be closed in 14 days. “We will not only use Disha as a blueprint, but will also visit other States for studying similar laws before enacting our own version for the safety of women. It will be introduced in the next Cabinet meeting,” said a senior Home Department official.