State to get 10 fast-track courts to try crimes against women

Three of the 10 fast track-courts to exclusively try crimes against women would come up in Bangalore, while Belgaum, Mangalore, Gulbarga, Madikeri, Mandya, Mysore and Ramanagara will have one each.

Law Minister T B Jayachandra told reporters on Tuesday that each court will have a district judge and a support staff of 37. The BJP government had mooted the idea of setting up 10 fast track courts exclusively to try atrocities against women. The present government took the proposal forward by writing to the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court. The move to set up fast-track courts is for speedy disposal of cases and will instil confidence among women, Jayachandra said.

The minister said he had recently written to Home Minister K J George and Minister of State for Women and Child Development Umashree to ensure awareness and implementation of legislation which provide stringent punishment to persons who commit or abet offences against women. He said that the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, has hardly been invoked in the State.

The Act has several penal provisions to crack down on indecent portrayal of women, including imprisonment of up to five years, Jayachandra said. The provisions of the Act state that no person shall publish or arrange or take part in publication or exhibition of any advertisement which contains indecent representation of women in any form.
The government can empower gazetted officers to seize any advertisement or any book, pamphlet, film, painting or photograph which they have reason to believe contravenes any of the provisions of the Act.