BENGALURU: The number of complaints related to crimes against women have been increasing every year. One reason could be because more number of women are coming forward to register complaints. But it is the alarmingly low rate of disposal of these cases that is a cause for worry.
Sample this: Since 2014, more than 31,000 complaints related to crimes against women, such as sexual harassment or rape have been filed across the state. However, less than one-third of the cases filed (29.9 percent) was disposed of during the same period, while a majority of them (15,117 of the total 31,885 cases) are still being heard in courts.
The rate of disposal of rape or gangrape cases was still dismal as only 16 per cent of the 3,468 cases filed since 2014 have been disposed of. Of the 572 rape cases disposed of by the court in the last four years, only 26 have been disposed of in 2017. The data was furnished by the State government to a question by MLA B S Raghavendra, during the recently concluded Assembly session in Belagavi.
The reasons for this low rate of disposal include lack of evidence, victims themselves backtracking after being pressurised by their families and shortage of judges to deal with such cases.
According to data available with Express, 2017 is on its way to recording the highest number of complaints of crimes against women. While 8,288 complaints were registered under various sections for sexual harassment, rape, gang rape and abduction, the number had already reached 8,021 at the end of October.
Women right activists say rise in democratic movements regarding violence against women has encouraged many women to come out of their shell and report atrocities. This, despite the hurdles complainants face in police stations and courts, where insensitive personnel still discourage women from pursuing cases.
There are fast track courts in Bengaluru and Tier-II cities of the state to deal with cases registered under POCSO act, or Section 376 (rape). However, that is not helping as there is shortage of judges to deal with those cases. Data shows only 16.5 per cent of rape cases registered since 2014 have been disposed of by the courts.
Among the crimes committed against women, sexual harassment comprises a lion’s share of the complaints - 22,124 or 69.3 per cent. In such cases too, the long process of law has ensured that 12,715 of the complaints are still in court.
Manjula Manasa, former chairperson of Karnataka State Commission for Women, told Express that many factors, including lack of evidence, work against women survivors who fight such cases. “There are many cases where the victim turns hostile due to pressure by her relatives. Sometimes, in open courts too, they request closure of cases stating they have compromised. The courts also encourage this but does not consider what she has gone through,” she said.
Though women in urban areas record evidence these days, especially digital, those in rural areas fail to even write a complaint. More often than not, rural women are forced to compromise and give up on a case, she said.
K S Vimala of Janawadi Mahila Sangatane said that though there has been awareness among women regarding crimes against them, insensitivity of police and court personnel still deterred their pursuit for justice. “Following the Nirbhaya incident in Delhi, though Justice Verma Committee made several recommendations on how to deal with such cases, they are not being implemented,” she said. Delay in filing chargesheet against the accused will help in getting bail and thereby torment the survivor, she added.
