Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy proposes law to punish rapists within 21 days

The rape and murder of the 26-year-old veterinary doctor Disha in Hyderabad has had a cascading effect across the country. Moved by the brutality of the case, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has proposed a law, which promises to punish rapists with 21 days. The state government is planning to bring in legislation to take stringent action for the crime against women and for speedy justice wherever there is conclusive evidence.

During a short discussion on women's safety on the first day of the Andhra Assembly session on Monday, Jagan Mohan Reddy said that a law would be brought in wherein stringent punishment would be meted out to perpetrators of crime against women. He added that the case would be taken to its logical conclusion within 21 working days. The Bill proposes to have dedicated courts to deal with crimes against women and focuses on blunting the social media that berates women. It also suggests blocking porn websites.

Andhra CM on faster laws

“Investigation of cases of crime against women should be completed in one week and the culprits should be punished within three weeks,” said the chief minister.

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The new Bill, which is scheduled to be introduced in the House this week. The bill will also include the zero FIR, which means that police will have to register a case anywhere irrespective of jurisdiction to instill confidence among women. In a speech laced with emotion, Jagan Mohan Reddy said that he was moved by the Disha case that shook the nation and the subsequent events where the culprits died in an encounter.

"We respect the emotions of the multitude of people who seek instant justice. A case should be concluded within three weeks of trial and stringent punishment should be taken," said Jagan during the short discussion in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly.

Read: 'Hats off KCR!': Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy backs police on Hyderabad rapists' encounter

Andhra CM to restrict everything that promotes violence against women 

The Andhra Pradesh CM added that those who post negatively about women should be afraid of punishment and such things would not stop unless stringent action is taken. For the same, the state government is in the process of introducing 354 (E) of the IPC. The CM also expressed serious concern about liquor, social media, and smartphones.

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"When a group of people booze together, they lose conscience and get violent ideas. Our government has closed 43,000 belt shops in villages across the state. We canceled permissions to permit rooms in wine shops in order to decrease the consumption of alcohol,” said YS Jagan. “Pornography is another reason for the crime against women. Though porn sites are blocked, we are not able to control watching them. A new bill will be introduced in Assembly addressing all these issues," added the CM.

Read: 'Humanity is my religion', says Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy