NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed all the states and union territories to identify the officers in the Department of Women and Child Development at the district and taluka levels and designate them as protection officers.
A two-judge bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma directed the chief secretaries of the states, UTs and the secretaries of the Women and Child/Social Welfare Departments to ensure the designation of officers as protection officers under the Domestic Violence Act.
The SC’s direction came on a plea filed by the petitioner-NGO, We the Women of India, seeking to fill massive gaps in infrastructure under Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act.
The NGO said domestic violence continues to be the most common crime against females in India despite the Domestic Violence Act coming into force more than 15 years.