[1]Asking the Maharashtra government to sensitise its police force towards molestation cases, the Bombay High Court on Thursday directed top officials from Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) to come up with steps to ensure safety of women on trains.
A division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Ranjana Desai was hearing a PIL which alleged that GRP had refused to register the complaint of a 25-year-old woman who was molested in a local train in the wee hours of June 19.
"You (state) have to sensitise your police towards molestation cases. Police think it is not a serious case just because under section 354 for molestation, it is a bailable offence. Even if an accused is arrested and kept in custody for a few hours, he will understand the gravity of the situation," Justice Shah remarked.
Government pleader Rajesh Behere informed the court that the state government has asked a 20-member committee formed last year towards protection of women in railways to consider amendment to section 354 to make it a non-bailable offence.
"The committee submitted an interim report in December last year and is expected to submit the final report in December this year," Behere said.
The court, however, asked as to how many recommendations made by the committee in its interim report have been implemented by the state government to which the government pleader said that he would find it out.
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