Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday has appreciated the workings of Justice Verma panel for giving recommendation to amend offensive laws against women and improving their safety and security in the society. He also assured to Justice J S Verma, the head of the panel to take prompt action over panel's recommendation.
Prime Minister has congratulated to the panel via writing a letter.
"I am writing to thank you, Justice Leila Seth and Gopal Subramanian for your labour of love in completing the work of the committee our government had constituted to recommend amendments in law to be able to deal effectively with cases of sexual assault of extreme nature against women," said Dr. Singh in his letter.
"That the committee submitted its report within a short period of 30 days is testimony to your commitment and concern for the public good. On behalf of our government, I assure you that we will be prompt in pursuing the recommendations of the Committee," he added.
A three-member committee, headed by former Chief Justice of India J.S. Verma, which was set up to consider introduction of tougher laws for crimes against women, submitted its report to the Union Home Ministry on January 23.
The committee was formed in the aftermath of the heinous gang rape case of Delhi in which a 23-year-old medical student was brutally raped and assaulted in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012. She died of her injuries on December 29, 2012 in the multi-specialty Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.
The Congress-led UPA Government, which was forced on the back foot over this heinous crime, had constituted a three-member committee headed by Justice Verma to give recommendations on amending laws to provide speedier justice and enhanced punishment in sexual assault cases.
The committee had earlier issued a notice seeking suggestions from the public in general, particularly eminent jurists, legal professionals, NGOs, women"s groups and civil society members in a bid to provide quicker justice and stringent punishment for crimes against women.
The panel was set up in the wake of outrage over the gruesome gang-rape and brutalities committed on a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus in south Delhi Dec 16.
Life imprisonment for gang-rape, but no death penalty even if the victim dies or is reduced to a vegetative state, were among the recommendations of the panel.
The committee, tasked to look into possible amendments to criminal laws for quicker trial and enhanced punishment for rapists, submitted its report to Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde 29 days after it was set up.
Justice Verma said the committee has not suggested death penalty for rapists because there were overwhelming suggestions from women organisations against it.
The panel recommended that stalking, acid attacks and voyeurism should be considered separate crimes, but suggested seven years imprisonment for acid attacks on women and for voyeurism, including making MMS clips and passing them on to others.
It said trafficking in women should be punishable with rigorous imprisonment for a term between seven to 10 years.
"Stalking or attempts to contact a person repeatedly through any means shall be liable to get a term of up to three years," it said.
The committee, however, did not suggest lowering the legally defined age of "juvenile" from 18 to 16 years, a demand by women activists after one of the accused in the Delhi gang-rape was found to be below 18 years of age.
In its recommendations, the committee came down heavily on the administration, including the police and citizens, for not helping the grievously wounded young woman and her male friend who were thrown off the bus after the gang-rape.
It also took an open dig at the "peculiarity" of the Delhi government of not having the power over police in the city and said this "ambiguity" needs to be removed to maintain law and order and ensure accountability.
--With Agencies Inputs--
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