Swati Maliwal, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief whose indefinite hunger strike entered the ninth day on Saturday, refused to end her protest till more fast track courts are constituted and a system to ensure protection of girls is created.
“Until something concrete happens, I will not give up. Until a system is there which ensures safety for the last girl, I won’t give up,” she said on Saturday.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, Maliwal highlighted three rape cases between 18 and 20 April in three different states in which children aged 8-11 were victims and demanded that cases pertaining to rape of children are completed in six months and the guilty given death penalty.
The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday approved an ordinance, or emergency order, to introduce death penalty for child rapists. The approval will pave the way to award capital punishment to those convicted of raping children up to 12 years of age.
Urging the PM to take immediate action to prevent the rapes of children, Maliwal wrote that had a mere amendment in the law cannot bring the desired change till the law is implemented.
Maliwal, who has been fasting at Azad Maidan in the national capital, reiterated her demand for a system in which death sentence is handed to those guilty of rape in six months and that hearing in all sexual assault cases against women are completed in six months time.
The DCW chief has also asked the Centre to increase the number of fast track courts.
“The Centre should also provide 50 per cent of funds for Delhi’s fast track courts as per Supreme Court order, which has not been given for the last 5 years,” wrote Maliwal.
“People know that if the PM wants, he can get any work done overnight. Demonetisation is the biggest example,” Maliwal wrote underlining the urgency of her appeal.
She said that she won’t end her hunger strike till her demands are met. Maliwal has also asked for recruitment of 66,000 police personnel as per the directions of the United Nations and ensure their accountability. She also asked for the immediate work on the files on police resources pending with the Home Ministry and Finance Ministry.
Among her demands is the constitution of a high-level committee to assess the safety of women in capital every month. She recommended that the Home Minister, Delhi’s Lieutenant General, the Chief Minister, the DCW and the Police Commissioner should be a part of the committee.
The Centre cleared on Saturday the criminal law amendment ordinance which also includes POCSO Act as part of that amendment.
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In a letter submitted to Supreme Court (SC) on Friday, the Centre had said that the process to amend the POCSO Act, 2012, has been initiated.
The Union government was responding to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), which had sought maximum sentence of death penalty to those involved in rape and murder of children up to 12 years of age.