Supreme Court demands national register on rapists

Hyderabad: Commenting on the gangrape videos sent to it by Hyderabad-based NGO Prajwala, a Supreme Court bench of justices Madan B. Lokur and Uday Lalit said, “This issue is extremely serious and of great public importance and something needs to be done.” The videos were later withdrawn from the website.

The bench, while ordering a CBI probe issued notice to the Centre, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi and Odisha, as the heinous crimes appeared to have been committed by the offenders hailing from these states, directed the CBI director to immediately register a case and start the investigation. “We expect the police of the states concerned to take urgent action to apprehend the culprits,” it said.

The bench noted that the letter of Dr Sunita Krishnan (of Prajwala) indicated that the offence of rape was being committed with impunity and the offenders had the audacity to record the crime on video and put it in the public domain. The bench sought the response of the Union ministries of home and information technology to Prajwala’s suggestions for preventing such crimes in the future. Besides the CBI probe, the NGO has sought the setting up of a task force in the Union home ministry to deal with such technology-driven sexual crimes. It also sought creation of a national register containing the details of those convicted for sexual crimes, including molestation, stalking and rape.

The bench observed that the TS police had failed to apprehend the rapists or those involved in damaging the car of a Prajwala office-bearer who had circulated the edited video clips to facilitate the arrest of the culprits. The bench directed the matter for further listing on March 13.

Activist welcomes move

Hyderabad: Expressing delight over the Supreme Court’s suo motu writ, activist Sunita Krishnan, chief functionary of Prajwala, said, “It’s heartwarming that the Supreme Court has taken a very serious note. It gives hope that at least one stakeholder has prioritised the issue.” Speaking on why she had written to the SC, the activist said that the videos show the failure of the criminal justice system and she wanted to continue the ‘Shame the Rapists’ campaign till the culprits got punished.

Reportedly, after the start of the campaign on February 6, the activist received several offensive pornographic mails and messages. “I have lodged a complaint with the Cyber Crime Cell of Hyderabad,” said Ms Krishnan. There has been no update from the department yet. The activist’s car was also vandalised. The police department hasn’t apprehended anyone in relation to that case either.