Maha evinces interest in Disha

Amaravati: A delegation led by Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh and comprising director general of police (DGP) Subodh Jaiswal and other officials landed here on Thursday to study the Disha Act in detail.

They met Chief Secretary Neelam Sawhney and the DGP Gautam Sawang earlier during the day and discussed the Act and its provisions in detail. Later, they interacted with the home minister Mekathoti Sucharitha and minister for women welfare T Vanita to discuss the nuances of the Act and the steps taken to establish the infrastructure.

Impressed by the Act and the AP government's initiative to check the crimes against women, the Maharashtra home minister congratulated Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and the administration for launching such a path-breaking move. It should be an eye-opener to all states and everyone should implement the same, he said.

The delegation met the Chief Minister later in the evening and congratulated him for bringing in the Act. Speaking to the media later, AP home minister Sucharitha said she explained the necessity of the Act and the infrastructure created to go with it. She said the new Act meant that misbehaviour with women meant imposition of fine up to Rs 5 lakh and imprisonment up to four years.

While under the existing POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, the punishment ranges from three to five years of imprisonment, under the Disha Act the jail term could go up to 14 years with a minimum of four years of jail term. Disha imposed stringent punishments compared with other laws under any section, she said.

Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh had on February 17 announced that he would visit Andhra Pradesh to understand more about the Disha Act that stipulates stringent punishment in cases of atrocities against women. Deshmukh had made the announcement from his official Twitter handle.

He said, "I have decided to visit Andhra Pradesh on February 20 for seeking information on Disha Act of the state. It has helped the state in fast-tracking trial of cases of atrocities against women."

The Maharashtra home department is facing flak over recent incidents of violent attacks on women. Last week, AP Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy met Union home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi and sought his help in getting Parliament's nod to the stringent law enacted by the state Assembly on women's safety.

During the 30-minute meeting held at Amit Shah's residence, Jagan explained the features of the Andhra Pradesh Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2019 (also known as the Disha Act), which provides for a court verdict to be delivered within 21 days in rape cases, mandatory death penalty for such crimes and an increased jail term for sexual offences against minors.

Earlier this month, Jagan inaugurated the first Disha Mahila Police Station in Rajamahndravaram. At the time, Jagan said that a total of 18 such police stations would be set up across the state, headed by a DSP-rank officer, to exclusively deal with crimes against women and children.

Disha (name changed) was brutally raped and killed in the outskirts of Hyderabad on November 27, which had triggered massive outrage across the country. Following the crime, four suspects in the case were arrested on November 28 and killed in an alleged encounter by the Telangana police on December 6.