PIL: Publicise laws, penalties to curb crimes against women

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Friday sought responses from the Centre and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to a PIL by criminal law practitioner Aabad H Ponda, advocating wide publicity to stringent provisions of amended rape laws prescribing stiff punishments as a measure to curb crimes against women.

Referring to the RG Kar Hospital rape-murder, senior advocate Ponda told a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra that most people were unaware of what constituted rape and the consequences of committing the heinous crime.

Arguing before the bench, he said, "While courts cannot be questioned about how they deal with rapists, the real problem lies in how to prevent rape taking place. Repeated rapes in the county do not speak well about good governance and effective implementation of the law."

Ponda said every time a woman was sexually assaulted, society hoped law enforcing agencies would bring the culprit to book and courts would award exemplary punishment as a deterrent against such crimes, but nothing changed on the ground.

Referring to bills passed by West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra proposing mandatory death sentence for rape-murder, he said, "Despite rape laws being made more stringent post-Nirbhaya, this crime only seems to be on the rise.

Ponda said it must be made mandatory for all schools to educate children about the drastic consequences of rape. He said filmmakers, print, electronic and web-based media should repeatedly highlight the stringent punishment provided for rape.


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