VIJAYAWADA/VISAKHAPATNAM/TIRUPATI: The passage of Andhra Pradesh Disha Bill, 2019 in the State Assembly was widely welcomed by people from different walks of life. However, some people voiced concern about its effective implementation to ensure speedy justice to victims of sexual atrocities.
During the debate on the Bill in the Assembly on Friday, women members of both treasury benches and the Opposition welcomed the Disha Act and opined that tough laws would act as a deterrent to perpetrators of crime against women and children.
YSRC MLA KV Ushasri Charan described it as historic legislation and thanked Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for enacting the Disha Act. She said, “Delivery of justice within 21 days and capital punishment will create fear among perpetrators of crime against women. It will ensure safety of girls, besides enhancing their self-confidence.”
Welcoming the new law, TDP legislator Adireddy Bhavani said Telugu Desam was committed to empowerment of women.
“Every father, irrespective of his social stature, fears while sending his daughters out in the wake of steep rise in atrocities against women and children. There is a need for tough laws like the Disha Act to ensure safety of women and children,” she opined.
AP State Women’s Commission Chairperson Vasireddy Padma, along with Home Minister M Sucharita and other women YSRC MLAs, cut the cake on the Assembly premises to express their happiness over the passage of the bill. Women and girl students performed ‘Ksheerabhishekam’ to the portrait of the Chief Minister in Anantapur, expressing their gratitude to Jagan for bringing in new legislation to ensure safety of women and children.
In Tirupati, the new legislation evoked mixed reactions from people. Some people were overwhelmed with the passage of the bill, while others expressed their reservations about it.
E Gowthami, an MCJ final year student of Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam underlined the need for effective implementation of the Act to achieve desired results. Emphasis should be laid on empowerment of women to check atrocities against them, she said.
T Gayatri, a BA (Psychology) final year student and Senior Under Officer (NCC) of SPW Degree College, said that the new Act should be implemented in such a way that the perpetrators of crime against women should be severely punished irrespective of their social status and political affiliation. Pending cases should also be brought under the purview of the Disha Act to ensure speedy justice to women victims, she said.
V Mrudula, founding secretary of Sayodhya Home for Women in Need, said “Disha Act is nothing but a response to the rape and murder of a veterinarian in Telangana.”
In Visakhapatnam, NGOs welcomed the new legislation. “The new Act will ensure safety of women in the wake of steep rise in atrocities against them in the country in recent times,” said Padmavati, president of NGO Viswas. She hailed that Andhra Pradesh took the first step in the direction of ensuring speedy justice to victims of sexual offences.
Welcoming the enactment of new law to ensure safety of women and children, former Union energy secretary EAS Sarma said, “It is equally important to unshackle the police personnel who investigate such crimes from the political control and making them accountable to the judiciary.”