Andhra Pradesh gets its first Disha Police station
Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy inaugurated the first of 18 Disha police stations promised under the Disha Act to provide swift justice on crimes against women.
Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy during the inaugural event of Disha police station in Rajamahendravaram city
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Saturday inaugurated Disha police station in Rajamahendravaram city to address heinous crimes against women and children in Andhra Pradesh. He also launched the Disha app to help women in distress, and demonstrated how women can send SOS through the app which will alert the nearest police vehicle.
Mekathoti Sucharitha, Home Minister of Andhra Pradesh, took to Twitter to appreciate the state government's effort to walk the talk on women empowerment. She added that young girls in the state can now live without fear.
It is the first of the 18 Disha police station promised under the Disha Act to fast-track the trials of crime against women, providing stringent punishment for rape crimes and others with conclusive evidence.
While the state saw the first Disha police station set up within three months of passing the new law, the remaining police stations will be set up by the end of the month, the Chief Minister said. Each of these stations will be manned by a DSP rank officer and 26 to 47 police officers, he added.
Disha Act is a state law passed by the Jaganmohan Reddy's government, soon after the brutal rape and murder of 26-year-old veterinarian in Telangana last year. Under the law, the investigation into cases of sexual offences are to be completed within seven working days from the time of record, and the trial must be concluded within 14 working days from the date of filing the charge sheet.
The appeal against the sentence passed under the new law has to be disposed of within six months. Special courts in each district will take care of such cases. This is notably less than the four months’ judgement period (two months each for investigation and trial) prescribed under the Nirbhaya Act of 2013 and the Criminal Amendment Act of 2018.
Criminals will also be sentenced to two years’ of imprisonment on the first conviction of cyber harassment and four years on repeated attempts.
As women safety has become a long-standing issue in the country, more city and state-level measures are being adopted. In December 2019, Bengaluru police also set up a separate women-specific wing to strengthen women helpline ‘100’ and Suraksha app for women in distress.
(Edited by Suman Singh)
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