Taking strong exception to a male police officer investigating a rape case, a Delhi court has asked the police chief to deploy adequate number of lady officers to deal with cases relating to sexual assault.
Taking note of the shortage of lady police officers at various police stations in the city to handle investigation of sexual assault cases, Rohini Court additional sessions judge (ASJ) Dr Kamini Lau has asked the Delhi police commissioner to deploy adequate number of lady officers to deal with such offences. This should be brought to the notice of the police commissioner, so that he could examine why women police officers were not engaged for investigating the cases relating to violence against women despite a standing order in this regard, the court noted.
“It is rather surprising to note the shortage of lady police officers at the level of police stations to handle investigations of sexual assault cases, which is despite the fact that the Delhi police is supposedly credited with a record number of lady police officers,” Dr Lau said.
The court made the remarks while noting that a male sub-inspector had investigated a case of rape of a minor and the senior police officers, including an assistant commissioner of police, had attributed the incident to non-availability of women police officers.
It also said that “This aspect is required to be placed before the commissioner of police, Delhi as it would be desirable for him to examine why sufficient number of lady police officers have not been posted at police stations for dealing with crime against women, particularly sexual assault cases, resulting in violation of their own guidelines regarding investigation of rape cases.”
The court directed that immediate steps be taken to remedy the situation and ensure that sufficient number of lady police officers are available at the police stations round the clock.
The court further said that if due to any exigency, the lady officers are not available, then lady officers from other police stations in the district should be immediately put on the job rather than deputing male officers to handle the investigations in the case.
As per the guidelines issued to the Delhi police, as soon as a complaint of sexual assault is received, the duty officer posted at a police station is required to call a lady police officer to make the victim and her family comfortable.