Jammu and Kashmir became the first state in the country to have a law explicitly banning sexual exploitation of women by those in positions of authority, having a fiduciary relationship or a public servant.

The State Administrative Council (SAC), under the chairmanship of Governor Satya Pal Malik, approved the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2018 and the Jammu and Kashmir Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018.

The Bill seeks to amend the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) whereby specific offence under section 354-E is being inserted to provide for the offence of ‘sextortion’.

Amendments are being made in section 154, 161 and Schedule of Criminal Procedure Code and section 53-A of the Evidence Act so as to bring sextortion at par with similar offences prescribed under RPC and amendment is being made in Prevention of Corruption Act to amend the definition of misconduct and to provide that demand for sexual favours would also constitute misconduct within the meaning of section 5.

The SAC also approved the Jammu and Kashmir Transplantation of Human Organ (Amendment) Bill, 2018. The Bill seeks to amend the various provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Transplantation of Human Organ Act 1997, to remove the difficulties faced by the State and bring the provisions of the State Act at par with the Central Act.

Some of the features of the bill include establishment of human organ retrieval centre, establishment of state human organs and tissues removal and storage network, maintaining of registry of the donors and recipients of the human organs and tissues, inclusion of grandfather, grandmother, grandson, granddaughter, as near relative in the definition clause, definition of “minor” and “transplant coordinator”, authorisation of foreign national relative for transplantation, transplantation of tissue which would cover pellet injury among others.

In another decision SAC also approved establishment of first ever Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) to promote regulated and planned growth of real estate sector in the state.

Meanwhile SAC accorded sanction to the creation of 158 posts of various categories for the up-gradation of five Sub District Hospitals (SDHs) to the level of District Hospitals.