Centre Rebuts Mamata Banerjee’s Claims, Calls for Swift Implementation of Existing Laws

Centre Rebuts Mamata Banerjee’s Claims, Urges West Bengal to Address Delays and Implement Existing Laws for Fast Track Special Courts

In a direct counter to the letter written by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to the Prime Minister recently, Union Minister of Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi has refuted several adjectives used a few days ago in the letter written by Banerjee. Devi pointed out that Banerjee had provided ‘factually incorrect’ data and the data seemed to be a bid to ‘hide the raw data’ regarding delay in the ‘operationalization of Fast Track Special Courts’ in the state.

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Banerjee’s letter which demanded for even more stringent central Legislation and exemplary punishment for gruesome crimes that include Rape and Murder was as swiftly and firmly countered by Devi using the existing BNS laws. The BNS allows for harsh penalties for such crimes as; the offender could receive a life imprisonment, or the death penalty, where necessary.

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Devi also particularly emphasised that West Bengal has not been able to start 11 more FTSCs while there are huge backlog of rape and POCSO cases. She pointed out the fact that though the state has set up 88 Fast Track Courts (FTCs), the mentioned FTSC are different from the FTSCs under the Central Government’s scheme that are intended to deal effectively with such cases.

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West Bengal has rich laws of crime against women but they are not implemented effectively and that is why the Union Minister called for stringent implementation of the existing laws in letter and spirit to foster the criminal justice system in West Bengal to get justice in favour of victims. She also pointed out that under the FTSC scheme, states may hire judicial officers and the court staff on contract to solve the problem of workforce deficit. In her conclusion, Devi echoed on the need to ensure good case handling coupled with sensitization of the duty holders in order to facilitate timely delivery of justice.

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