Swarna Shukla –
Published On: October 15, 2021 at 10:18 IST
The Kerala High Court again voiced its concern regarding the increasing number of sexual abuse and rape survivors seeking Police protection, due to incompetent implementation of the Victim Protection Guidelines.
Justice Devan Ramachandran said, “Cases of sexual attack victims and rape survivors being intimidated by the accused persons and their associates have been coming to this Court with some regularity. In the case at hand, unfortunately, allegations are far more grievous because, the Petitioner, who is stated to be a rape victim, alleges that she is being harassed by not only the accused , but by certain police officers.”
Advocate Dheeraj Rajan appearing for Petitioner submitted that the Station House Officer and Civil Police Officer attached to the Thrikkakkara Police Station were acting together with the accused and the Victim therefore has been forced to go into hiding.
However, the Court believed that the allegations were not known to be true yet, it stressed the competent authorities must be accountable for their failure to effectively implement the Victim Protection Guidelines.
The Court further directed the Commissioner of Police to make sure the protection of Petitioner and her minor daughter are effectively done without involving the Police Officers against whom the allegations were made.
Accordingly, the High Court directed the District Police Chief to file a response particularly as to how the Victim Protection Protocols can be effectively put in place and implemented.