Amaravati, Aug 7 (PTI) YSRCP supremo YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday accused Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of withdrawing the “Disha Bill”, a women’s protection initiative from the erstwhile YSRCP government, out of “political jealousy.” On August 6, the Andhra Pradesh cabinet had withdrawn the “Disha Bill.” “The Chandrababu government’s decision to withdraw the Disha Bill marks a black day for the women and children of Andhra Pradesh. It is deeply unfortunate that a comprehensive safety framework created to protect women has been dismantled out of political jealousy,” Reddy alleged in a post on X.
The erstwhile YSRCP government had introduced “Disha” as a solution to the growing incidence of crimes against women and children, delays in investigation and prolonged judicial processes, he said.
According to the former CM, it was conceived as a comprehensive system that not only aimed to prevent crime but also ensured immediate police response, protection for victims, time-bound investigation, scientific collection of forensic evidence, prompt filing of charge sheets and speedy justice through dedicated courts.
As part of the Disha initiative, he reminded that the previous government had introduced a system under which police would respond within minutes if a woman in distress pressed the SOS button or simply shook her mobile phone for five times.
More than 1.51 crore people had downloaded the Disha App, he said, observing that police had successfully responded to and resolved 31,607 emergency calls received through the app.
“We established 18 exclusive Disha Mahila Police Stations. By deploying 13,500 women police personnel, with one woman police officer in every village and ward secretariat, we created a strong grassroots safety reporting network. We also introduced dedicated patrolling with 900 two-wheelers and 163 four-wheelers,” he said.
To strengthen scientific investigation of crimes, his government had upgraded forensic infrastructure in six major cities, including establishing 13 Special POCSO Courts and 12 Special Women’s Courts to ensure speedy trials.
A dedicated database containing details of over 2.17 lakh registered sexual offenders was also created to strengthen investigation and monitoring, he said.
“This is precisely why Disha emerged as a highly successful safety framework for women and children. The results clearly demonstrate its effectiveness,” said the opposition leader, further elaborating Disha’s provisions.
As many as214 convictions were secured in cases involving crimes against women and children, Reddy said, claiming that by May 2024, crimes against women had declined by 27 percent with the annual average number of cases reducing from 14,338 to 10,426.
“This is the confidence Disha gave women. These are the outcomes Disha delivered. It is because of these achievements that the Disha initiative received 19 national awards in our government,” he said.
Today, Naidu’s government claims that the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) is sufficient and that Disha is no longer required, he said. Reddy questioned how can BNS replace a specialised system that included an SOS emergency response mechanism and dedicated women’s police stations.
By withdrawing the Disha Bill, the Chandrababu government is reducing the fear of the law among offenders while weakening the confidence that victims have in the government, he said.
The former CM demanded the state cabinet to immediately reverse this decision, adding that Disha should protected and further strengthened.
Meanwhile, there was no immediate reaction with from the TDP.
The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly had on December 13, 2019, passed the “Disha Bill” seeking to further amend the Indian Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure that will enable expeditious investigation and trial of offences against women and children, especially sexual offences, and pronouncing death penalty.
Simultaneously, the state also passed the AP Disha (Special Courts for Specified Offences against Women and Children) Bill, 2019 PTI STH SA
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