Govt amends rules to help SC/ST victims of sexual crimes

The government has scrapped a provision of conducting medical examination in cases like eve-teasing against SC and ST victims to enable them get relief quickly.

The new law — Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Rules, 2016 — scrapped the more than 20-year-old provision, to help bring speedy justice to victims of acts intended to insult the modesty of women, ranging from gesture to stalking.

Increased relief

The law, notified recently by the government, also has provision of increased relief to victims ranging from Rs 85,000 to Rs 8.25 lakh. Earlier, the amount ranged between Rs 75,000 and Rs 7.5 lakh, depending upon the nature of the offence.

Earlier, 50% of the amount was paid after medical examination and remaining 50% at the conclusion of the trial, according to a senior official from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

“However, the new Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act 2015 which came into force on January 26 this year, included a series of new offences following which the rules had to be modified.

“Under the newly formed rules, separate provision of relief for offences of rape and gang-rape were introduced for the first time to give effect to the amended provisions.

“These offences fall under the category of invasive offences and also offences like assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, use of criminal force to a woman with intent to disrobe, sexual harassment, voyeurism, stalking which fall under non-invasive category, have also been specifically mentioned.

“Now, in cases of non-invasive offences, we have done away with the medical examination part. Medical examination is now required only in crimes of invasive nature,” the official said.

The new rules also mandate that investigation and filing of charge-sheet in cases of atrocities against SC/ST women will now have to be completed within 60 days of commission of the offence.

Earlier, there was no time limit for filing of charge-sheet, but investigations had to be completed within 30 days.