Amend laws to punish people filing false cases: Parl panel to govt

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 15

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home on Monday asked the Government to work with states and ensure that people and cops filing false cases do not go scot-free and recommended changes in existing laws to ensure action against those who perpetrate falsehoods.

The committee further lamented only 38 pc utilization of Nirbhaya Fund noting that the fund meant for the safety and security of women was being diverted for other schemes.

On false cases, the panel expressed concern and said after an investigation about the veracity of cases, appropriate penal action should be taken by fixing accountability of the police personnel who have registered false cases.

“Also individuals who register false cases must not get off scot-free. We recommend that the Home Ministry advises states to take strict actions against police personnel and individuals who have registered false cases. The Home ministry may take up the matter with the Ministry of Law if need be and laws should be amended to add stringent provisions against false cases,” said the panel headed by Congress veteran Anand Sharma in its report “Atrocities and Crimes against Women and Children” tabled in Parliament today.

Ruing that only 10 pc of Indian police force are women where 33 pc recruitment is mandatory, the panel said that only Rs 3,581.11 crore has been disbursed from Nirbhaya Fund out of Rs 9,288.45 crore which is around 38.55 pc.

“We are disappointed to note that Nirbhaya Fund is continuously diverted towards other schemes and projects. We take a very serious note of this and strongly recommend that the ministry should desist from sanctioning funds for such schemes from Nirbhaya Fund and adhere to the original purpose of Nirbhaya Fund,” said the panel adding that out of 1023 fast track special courts for expeditious trial and disposal of cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, very few courts were operational.

“Cases registered under POCSO Act during 2017 to 19 were 31,668, 38,802 and 46,005 respectively. The committee is perplexed to note that against the 1023 Fast Track Special Courts only 597 courts including 325 exclusive POCSO courts have been made operational in 24 states and UTs,” the panel noted.