SC ashamed over rising crimes against women; Seeks concrete solutions beyond symbolism

United News of India

4 days ago

New Delhi, July 22 (UNI) Expressing deep anguish over the rising incidents of brutal violence against women, the Supreme Court today remarked that it feels "ashamed" to hear frequent cases of assaults, including recent incidents where women were burnt alive.
A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a writ petition filed by the Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association seeking Pan-India Safety Guidelines to protect women, alongside reforms including mandatory chemical castration of sexual offenders upon arrest, immediate polygraph tests, life imprisonment, and permanent castration in cases of heinous rape and murder.
The petition also demanded setting up a National Sex Offenders Registry accessible to all women.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Mahalakshmi Pavani highlighted that only two days ago, a girl was burnt alive. Justice Kant responded, 'We are equally concerned… so many voiceless people in remote areas suffer. Wide publicity may not work out for them. Let's accept these ground realities.'
The Court, however, adjourned the matter to Thursday after noting that the Union Government's counter-affidavit was not on record. It urged Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati to treat the issue not as adversarial litigation but as a collective challenge requiring both long-term and short-term solutions.
Justice Kant observed, 'Just examine possible solutions… comprehensive directions that can create real impact. Only when tragedy strikes do we wake up. This is what is inherently wrong in the system.'
He suggested appointing educated villagers as paralegal workers to bridge justice accessibility gaps, especially when ASG Bhati informed the Court about existing One Stop Centres in every district.
Justice Kant proposed that women elected as sarpanch under Panchayat reservation could also be empowered to act as paralegal workers.
The petition invoked the doctrine of parens patriae for the Court to safeguard the fundamental rights of women, children, and the third gender. It stated that despite stringent laws after the JS Verma Committee recommendations in 2013, heinous cases like Unnao, Kathua, and Hathras continue to occur due to police and administrative apathy, corruption, and lack of implementation.
'Parliament has passed strict laws but without effective and timely implementation, criminals have no fear,' the plea said, urging the Court to issue strict, time-bound guidelines to prevent such crimes.
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