http://m.indianexpress.com/news/sc-issues-tough-guidelines-to-curb-eveteasing/1038867/
SC issues tough guidelines to curb eve-teasing
A view of the Supreme Court building is seen in New Delhi.
Reuters
Utkarsh Anand
Citing the absence of a uniform law in the country to deal
with the "horrid and disgusting" crime of eve-teasing, the
Supreme Court Friday issued a slew of directives to all state
governments and union territories to protect women from
such a "painful ordeal".
A bench of Justices K S Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra,
while referring to a similar move by the court to tackle
sexual harassment at work places, said that it had become
urgent for it to interfere in public interest and pass
directions to curb the menace.
The apex court directed all states and union territories to
establish within three months women's helplines in cities
and towns to curb harassment. It also said women police
officers in plain clothes should be deployed near public
places such as bus and train stations, cinema halls, shopping
malls and parks, among others.
The court ordered installation of CCTV cameras in all such
public places, which it underlined, would not only help in
nabbing offenders but also act as a deterrent.
The bench also said that permits of public carriers would be
cancelled if the driver or anyone else in-charge of the
vehicle fails to take it to the nearest police station on
receiving a complaint about harassment.
"Responsibility is also on the passers-by and on noticing such
incident, they should also report the same to the nearest
police station or to women's helpline to save the victims
from such crimes," it added.
The bench asked people in-charge of places such as
educational institutions, places of worship and cinema halls
to inform the nearest police station or the women's help
centre on receiving a harassment complaint. Suitable
signages cautioning against the crime should also be
exhibited in all public places.
"The state governments and union territories of India would
take adequate and effective measures by issuing suitable
instructions to the concerned authorities including the
district collectors and the district superintendent of police so
as to take effective and proper measures to curb such
incidents of eve-teasing," said the bench.
The court's directions came while hearing an appeal by the
Tamil Nadu police department against an order to re-instate
a police officer, who had been dismissed after being found
guilty of harassing a woman. The high court had passed the
order after the officer had been acquitted by a criminal
court.
The apex court reversed the HC's order saying disciplinary
proceedings had rightly held the officer guilty and that he
was acquitted by the criminal court not because he was
proven innocent but because the witnesses, including the
woman complainant, turned hostile.
"Eve-teasing today has become pernicious, horrid and
disgusting practice. More and more girl students, women go
to educational institutions, work places etc. and their
protection is of extreme importance to a civilised and
cultured society. The experiences of women and girl children
in over-crowded buses, metros, trains etc. are horrendous
and a painful ordeal," the bench said.
"We notice that there is no uniform law in this country to
curb eve-teasing effectively. Consequences of not curbing
such a menace, needless to say, are at times disastrous.
There are many instances where girls of young age are being
harassed, which sometimes may lead to serious
psychological problems and even committing suicide," the
bench said, adding the crime violated fundamental rights of
women.
It said directives from the SC were also required since the
proposed Protection of Woman against Sexual Harassment at
Workplace Bill, 2010, which is intended to protect female
workers in workplaces, was "not sufficient to curb eve-
teasing." Moreover, of all the states, only Tamil Nadu had
come up with a legislation against harassment after the
crime led to the death of a woman in 1998, it said.
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