Government must act on excellent Verma panel report on sexual assault crimes

The Justice Verma Committee, set up to recommend reforms to deal with sexual assault crimes, has come out with a comprehensive and laudable report. Not only did the committee take on board suggestions from a range of academics, activists, lawyers et al, but also came out with the report dot on time. Now, the ball is firmly in the government’s court; and as the report notes, unless the recommendations are implemented speedily, it would “end the exercise conducted by this committee in futility”. The report includes measures like a CAG-like body to look after the interests of women and children, an immediate review of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act — blamed for crimes against civilians by armed forces, including assaults on women, in areas like Kashmir and the north-east — to improving street lighting. Clearly, beyond policing and effective justice delivery mechanisms, a wider sociopolitical change is needed to end all forms of crimes and discrimination against women. The report rightly takes that holistic view; though some recommendations, such as disqualifying MPs or MLAs against whom cases have been registered or that law enforcement agencies must be insulated from any political or other extraneous influence that impedes their performance, might be trickier to follow through on, while, of course, also being highly desirable.

Everyone might not agree with the report when it says that “existing laws, if faithfully and efficiently implemented by credible law enforcement agencies”, would ensure law and order and protect people, particularly women. But the changes it does suggest, for example, to the Indian Penal Code, from stricter punishment for sexual offences, refining the ambit of the latter, to making the failure of any officer to register a case of rape or attempts to abort its investigation a punishable offence to adding a new, and key, ‘breach of command responsibility’ section (holding a responsible public servant accountable in case of failure to check offences), are heartening. The bulk of the report, if implemented, would make it much easier for women in India to lead a safer and more equal life.