Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has instructed the officials to get the Central government’s nod for the A.P. Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2019 (Disha Act) at the earliest and take steps for speedy establishment of special courts for its implementation.
In a review meeting on Thursday, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said the government needed to move fast on obtaining the Union Home Ministry’s clearance for the Disha Act and the A.P. Special Courts for Specified Offences against Women and Children Act so as to punish those committing grave offences on women and children.
He insisted that special public prosecutors be appointed in right earnest, and ordered that details of the Disha Act be prominently displayed at the ward and village secretariats and other public places to spread public awareness.
The Chief Minister further said that forensic laboratories should be set up for foolproof implementation of the Acts and called for monthly stock-taking at the district level.
Patrol vehicles
Officials told the Chief Minister that Disha patrol vehicles would be launched soon and arrangements were being made to set up cyber security kiosks and Disha helpdesks in all the police stations to facilitate the lodging of complaints by the aggrieved.
So far, 390 cases were booked under the Disha Act. Of them, 74 ended in conviction, three persons were sentenced to death, and life imprisonment was awarded to five persons.
Home Minister M. Sucharitha, Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney and Director General of Police D. Gautam Sawang were among those present.
