Hyderabad: The Centre will amend the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to bypass High Courts with regard to levying the death penalty on men for committing atrocities on women, Union minister of state for home G. Kishan Reddy said.
This comes in the backdrop of the Dr P. Priyanka Reddy case. He was speaking to mediapersons after meeting with Priyanka’s family members. Mr Kishan Reddy said that the Centre was readying the amendment Bills for introduction in the Budget Session. The amendments propose that appeals against the death sentence imposed by trial courts can only be made in the Supreme Court or with the President. He said a draft has been prepared after collecting feedback from all states.
Union minister of state for home G. Kishan Reddy said, "The Police Research and Development Organisation had prepared the draft after collecting feedback from all states and consulting experts. Now, feedback is being collected from the people."
Stating that home minister Amit Shah was concerned about the delay in rendering justice in cases of atrocities on women, Mr Kishan Reddy said, "After the trial court pronounces its verdict, the convicts are appealing in the High Courts and obtaining a stay. After many years in the High Courts, the verdicts are being appealed again in the Supreme Court. Many years are lost in the process."
"As the cases are anyway going to the apex court, we thought the role of the High Courts can be dispensed with," the minister said. He expressed the hope that the accused in the Priyanka Reddy case will get the death penalty.
He said that the Centre had asked Telangana state to adopt the emergency response number ‘112’ to help women to alert different police agencies and their family members. He said the service had been launched in Delhi.
