AMARAVATI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy held a review meeting with officials over the enforcement of the Disha Act on Thursday, August 13.

During the meeting, officials told CM that 390 cases have already been registered in the state under the Disha Act. The CM ordered officials to set up special courts and forensic labs as soon as possible. He discussed the status of setting up of special courts under the new law in the state. YS Jagan has instructed authorities to set up the additional forensic labs soon.

The CM has directed officials to take all necessary steps to the immediate passage of the Criminal Law Amendment Bill in coordination with the Centre. The AP government is still waiting for the approval from the centre to give more stringent punishment to the culprits in cases of sexual violence against women.The state government had also set up 18 Disha police stations in the state for speedy investigation of sexual offences against women.

The officials told the CM that 11 prosecutors have been specially appointed in 13 districts to prosecute cases registered under the Disha Act and eight prosecutors to prosecute POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act cases. Responding to this, the CM directed them to appoint the public prosecutors soon.

The government will soon provide 900 scooters for special patrolling within each police station for the protection of women. Direction Women's Disha Help Desks will be set up at each police station and special computer and phone number facilities will be provided to people. Victims can receive psychological counselling as well as legal support, and this will be done with the help of NGOs.

In a move to provide security to women against the heinous crimes, the AP government had enacted the AP Disha Act 2019 law. Under the Disha Act proposed by the AP state government, the accused will get capital punishment if there are proper evidence to prove crime cases against women such as rape within 60 days after the crime.

The AP government will set up special kiosks to deal with cyber safety issues, and to get phones and laptops checked for security.

The officials told CM that out of the 390 cases filed, charge sheets were filed within seven days in all these cases, and conviction has been done in 74 cases. Death penalty was given in three cases, life sentence in five cases. In two cases, a 20-year sentence was awarded to culprits and in five cases, the convicts were sentenced to ten years of imprisonment, in 10 cases the sentence was over seven years long, and in the remaining cases, the sentence was under five years.

So far, 502 calls and 107 FIRs have been registered through the Disha app and 390 cases have been registered under the Disha Act and the chargesheet has been filed within 7 days in all cases.

Home Minister Mekathoti Sucharita, Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney and Director General of Police Gautam Sawang attended the review meeting.