The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking directions to raise awareness of anti-rape laws in schools and in society at large, Bar and Bench reported.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra issued notice on the plea filed by Senior Advocate Aabad Ponda.
The PIL states that despite the existence of stringent anti-rape laws that are capable of having a deterrent effect, crimes against women are on the rise.
"Therefore, reacting to such situations by making the punishments for rape more stringent with a knee-jerk reaction is no solution to the problem," it states.
According to Live Law, Aabad Harshad Ponda appeared before the bench stressing for the need to increase awareness amongst masses about the laws relating to the crime of rape, the changed definition of rape after the Nirbhaya case. Making reference to the ongoing RG Kar case, he urged the need for concrete steps by the state agencies.
The Bar and Bench report said that in terms of directions to educational institutions and authorities, the plea makes prayers including the need to incorporate in the syllabus with/without the subject of sex education, the penal laws of the country relating to rape and other offences against women and children.