No laxity in minors’ rape

IN a welcome decision aimed at sending a strong message of zero tolerance to sexual crimes against minors, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has trashed the plea for compromise between the fathers of a rape accused and the victim-girl of Gurdaspur. It has firmly held the ground for prosecuting the accused for assaulting a tender 13-year-old girl in the spirit of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The verdict signals dire consequences for anyone harbouring notions of getting away lightly with a negotiation, rather than paying for the ghastly misdeed with the stringent penalty it entails.

That it leaves no room for the convict to be shown indulgence or given bail should aid in curbing the heinous crime that has seen no signs of waning despite tightening of laws. Rather, offences smacking of deviant behaviour and serious aberrations in society have risen. As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report released in January, a shocking 109 children were sexually abused every day in 2018. Necessitating strong action and deterrence is the ugly fact that this figure constitutes a 22 per cent jump in such cases from the previous year. Incidentally, the latest NCRB data released this week shows Chandigarh at the bottom of the disgusting pile: with 112 rape cases recorded in 2019, with over 50 per cent of them minors, the city has earned the notoriety of registering the highest rate of rapes in the country. The only consolation is that in 2017, the Chandigarh POCSO court was the swiftest among the UTs and the neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Moved by the plight of the large number of vulnerable and defenceless children — both boys and girls — falling prey to predators stalking society, with long-term repercussions, the Supreme Court had in 2019 taken suo motu notice and issued directions to the states to fast-track the cases. Showing sensitivity in the matter, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had in February ordered the posting of seven judicial officers in Punjab and 14 in Haryana to try offences registered under the POCSO Act. Now, hope rests on swift justice.