New Delhi: National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairperson, Vijaya Rahatkar, said that the Commission will recommend to the Central government a complete prohibition on parole for individuals convicted in cases of rape, aggravated sexual assault, and other serious offences against women and children.
The proposed recommendations by the Commission may include amendments to prison and parole rules to classify rape, aggravated sexual assault, repeat sexual offences, and serious offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, as categories ineligible for parole or temporary release from jail, said an official statement on Friday.
The Commission may also recommend additional safeguards, including mandatory risk assessment, strengthened police verification, electronic monitoring, and consultation with survivors or their families prior to granting any temporary release.
Expressing concern over the existing parole framework in the wake of the recent Nasrapur sexual assault case in Pune district in which a 65-year-old man raped and murdered a four-year-old girl, the NCW Chairperson observed that the Nasrapur incident has raised serious concerns regarding public safety and the confidence of women and girls in society.
She said that in such cases, the protection, dignity, and security of women and children must remain paramount.
In Nasrapur, the elderly habitual offender lured the child, who was visiting her grandmother for summer holidays, into a cattle shed, raped her, and brutally murdered her by crushing her head with a stone, before shoving her lifeless body under cow dung to hide the heinous crime he had committed.
Rahatkar said the Commission will also recommend to the Central government comprehensive systemic reforms to strengthen the justice delivery mechanism in cases involving crimes against women and children.
The proposed recommendations include the expedited establishment of Special Fast Track Trial Courts to ensure swift disposal of such cases, enhanced coordination during investigation and trial proceedings through dedicated legal and subject experts.
The Commission may also propose creation of an independent and time-bound mechanism for prompt evidence examination, witness statement recording, and completion of investigations.
Rahatkar underlined the urgent need for stricter surveillance and preventive monitoring of habitual offenders and repeat accused booked under the POCSO Act and other sexual offence laws.
The Commission has recommended that state police authorities maintain continuous surveillance on repeat offenders and undertake preventive measures, including obtaining bonds for good conduct, wherever permissible under law, to deter recurrence of such offences.
Local police stations should also regularly monitor such individuals and submit periodic reports to senior authorities, said Rahatkar.
(IANS)
