National Human Rights Commission wants panel for sex crimes
Justice D. Murugesan award Rs 1 lakh to a victim of sexual harassment
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-04-23 02:02 GMT
Hyderabad: The National Human Rights Commission on Wednesday directed the Andhra Pradesh government to constitute committees against sexual harassment in all the districts of the state within four weeks.
Justice D. Murugesan while awarding compensation of Rs 1 lakh to a typist of the social welfare department, who is a victim of sexual harassment, directed the government to constitute the committees.
The woman employee had lodged a complaint against the superintendent, two junior assistants, a senior assistant and a sweeper of social welfare department of Nellore district to the NHRC seeking justice.
She submitted that despite her complaint the police failed to take action against the erring employees. During the course of the hearing it was brought to the notice of the judge that there were no committees in any of the district in the state to look into complaints of sexual harassment at the work place. While ordering constitution of committees, the judge held that the victim is entitled for compensation and awarded Rs 1 lakh, besides directing the Chief Secretary of AP to award compensation under the relevant provisions of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe of Atrocities) Act, 1989 in addition to Rs 1 lakh.
The judge directed taking disciplinary proceedings against the erring officials and also criminal action and asked to report compliance to the NHRC.
Collector to respond to complaints:
The National Human Rights Commission on Wednesday granted two weeks time to the Kurnool district collector to respond to a complaint lodged by the villagers of Vempenta
village against establishment of a power plant.
The complainants alleged that a present minister in TD government and a former minister of the Congress in erstwhile AP are behind setting up the power plant by private parties despite objections by the local people and the Gram Panchayat.
Chittoor SP told to produce records in Minor case:
Justice Cyriac Joseph, a member of the NHRC, on Wednesday directed the Chittoor SP to produce the records pertaining to an incident in which a minor girl was detained in SR Puram police station.
Expressing wonder for discharging the SI from the case, the judge directed the SP produce to general dairy within six weeks.
Chittoor cops to probe fraud in DKT patta land:
Justice Cyriac Joseph, a member of the NHRC directed the Chittoor district police to probe the fraudulent auction of DKT patta land of 2.30 acres belonging to a Dalit familyand transferring the land in the name of a government teacher. He was hearing a complaint by one Sudha seeking restoration of her land. The judge noticed that Sudarsanam Naidu and his wife Hymavathi, government teachers and Rambabu Naidu were involved in the fraudulent deal.
NHRC to take up april 7 encounter case:
The NHRC is likely to take up hearing on Thursday, the complaints in killing of 20 woodcutters in the April 7 encounter in the Seshachalam forests as well as the killing of 5 terror suspects in Nalgonda district in Telangana state.
The NHRC had suo motu issued notices on the Seshachalam encounter on April 7. Two days later, the NHRC took up the case of the Alair encounter in which Viquaruddin and four other undertrials were killed, on a complaint of the victims’ family members. The bench headed by NHRC chairman Justice K.G. Balakrishnan (retired) will hear both the cases on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the MIM has submitted a memorandum to the NHRC chairman on Wednesday seeking an inquiry into the Alair and Seshachalam encounters.