In her letter, Mamata said that while she had received a reply from the minister of women and child development, it failed to adequately address the gravity of the issue she had raised.
“You may kindly recall my letter No.44-CM dated August 22, 2024 (copy enclosed) regarding the need for stringent Central legislation on incidents of rape and meting out exemplary punishment to perpetrators of such crimes. No reply was received from your end on such a sensitive issue,” Mamata said in her letter.
“However, a reply has been received from the Minister of Women and Child Development, Government of India (vide their No. 1/RESC/HMWCD/2024 dated-25th August 2024), which barely attends the gravity of the issue raised in my letter. I am of the thought that the seriousness of the subject and its relevance to the society have not been adequately appreciated while sending out this generic reply,” she said.
The chief minister’s letter comes amidst severe criticism faced by her government following the rape-murder case of a trainee doctor and the subsequent vandalism at the RG Kar hospital, where the incident occurred.
In her letter, the West Bengal chief minister also highlighted the initiatives taken by her state in this area, which she believes have been overlooked in the reply received from the minister of women and child development.
“Regarding Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), 10 exclusive POCSO Courts have been approved by the State Government. In addition to this, 88 FTSCs and 62 POCSO designated Courts are functioning throughout the State on complete State funding. Monitoring and disposal of cases is completely in the hands of the Courts,” she said.
“As per Central Government guidelines, only retired Judicial Officers can be posted as Presiding Officers in FTSCs but Hon’ble High Court has observed that in view of the severity of the cases, permanent Judicial Officers need to be posted. This requires examination at the level of Government of India and suitable action thereafter, for which your intervention would be necessary,” she added.
The West Bengal chief minister also urged the Prime Minister to consider a stringent Central legislation and exemplary punishment for heinous crimes of rape/rape and murder, with a mandatory provision for the disposal of cases within a specific time frame by the trial authorities.
Mamata had previously announced that her government would seek capital punishment for the perpetrator in the Kolkata doctor rape and murder case.