Find social solution to curb sexual crimes: Madras high court

Chennai: The Madras high court has said the Society which has been rooted in one of the oldest civilizations of the world is facing its gravest challenge of steep cultural fall and degradation of an inconceivable kind, where children and women come under constant sexual attack day in and day out pushing the society to the brink of its civilized existence.

Justice V.Parthiban made the above observation while allowing an appeal from an accused, challenging the conviction and sentence of 10 years awarded to him by a trial court in connection with a case registered under the POCSO Act.

The judge said in a society where sexual crimes against children and women is the order of the day, something horrendously has gone wrong with evolution. The answer must be found beyond the criminal laws and its implementation. Sexual crimes are committed more often that not by ordinary individuals who have no ingrained criminal mindset unlike habitual offenders, but the sexual urge in themselves provoke them to commit crimes unmindful of the penal consequences that catch up with them after the act.

Sexual urge is a biological factor common to all living beings but when it assumes monstrous proportion resulting in proliferation of sex related crimes, then the society as a whole needs to wake up to the challenge to protect itself from moral denudation. “In such circumstances, it is socially imperative that the collective conscience of society must take upon itself the task of soul searching than leaving the ominous issue to be tackled only the law enforcing authority. Society need not aim to become an Utopian State, but it can at least prevent itself from perilously inching towards dystopian era”, the judge added.

The judge said the need of the hour was to identify the cause first before dealing with effect of such causes. This court, in consideration of various factors and the circumstances, was of the view that a high level committee may be appointed by the state government concerned comprising persons of eminence from various walks of life, to investigate and study the malady afflicting the society. Hope the appropriate authorities, who were equally concerned, may take this decision as a cue to initiate action to find a social solution in curbing the despicable menace of pathological behaviour of the perverted kind unleashed on the society, which society once boasted off great civilizational connectivity.

The Committee may consider as far as possible each case of violence against women and children as a study and come with social answers. The Committee may study such crimes from various dimensions including the cultural psyche of the offenders and may come up with suggestion periodically to arrest at least further growth of such crimes in future. “The above suggestions may be circulated to all concerned by the department and the suggestions may be translated into deeds by the government in the larger interest of the society”, the judge added.