West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has once again written to PM Narendra Modi over her concern about the lack of serious concern from the centre over her prior appeal for stringent law on rape cases. In her latest letter, Banerjee stresses the fact that while writing the letter, she also demanded from the Prime Minister’s office more stringent laws and severe punishment for the rapists, particularly her letter, which was written on 22 August 2024.
In her letters, Mamata Banerjee lays emphasis on the issue, and she points out that her letter was based on the necessity of the proper central legislative measure for rape and severe punishment for the culpable criminals of such heinous acts. She also noted that even though she had received a response from the Minister of Women and Child Development, such a response was rather ‘stiffed’ and did not consider the gravity of the issue nor the specific problems underscored.
According to Banerjee, the reply lacks understanding of the severity of the problem and does not mention the precautions the West Bengal government undertook. Consequently, she notes that the state has set up 10 connected POCSO courts, while it has opened 88 fast-track special courts and 62 POCSO-designated courts. These courts, funded solely from the state coffers, are supposed to oversee and ensure the early disposal of cases of sexual offences. Still, Banerjee perceives that there are no corresponding, more intensive, or more earnest federal measures to the problem.
Such measures Banerjee also describes in the letter that West Bengal has taken to enhance the judicial proceedings necessary to address sexual offences: investments in new courts and liberated capacities for handling the cases. She elaborates that the need for a more serious and specific response came from the central government, for sexual violence is a serious problem.
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