Centre issues fresh advisory to states, UTs on women safety

The Ministry while enumerating the provisions of IPC and CRPC said that the States / UTs should ensure their compliance.

Hyderabad: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday directed all States and Union Territories to strictly enforce laws and guidelines relating to sexual assault on women. It further asked the concerned to take stringent action against officers responsible for lapses, if any.

In an advisory issued on Saturday, the Ministry noted, “any lapses, if noticed, need to be investigated and stringent action taken immediately against the officers responsible for the same.”

The Ministry while enumerating the provisions of IPC and CRPC said that the States / UTs should ensure their compliance. It stated that Section 173 of the CrPC provides for the investigation of cases related to rape in two months. MHA has created an online portal for monitoring cases.

As per the order all the States are required to register an FIR, collect evidence for forensic examination and use of Sexual Assault Evidence Collection (SAEC) kit, completion of investigation in sexual assault cases in two months, and use National Database on Sexual Offenders for identifying and tracking repeat sexual offenders etc.

In case the crime is committed outside the jurisdiction of a police station, the victim can file a “Zero FIR”.