Team News Riveting
Raipur, May 24
Over two thousand women advocates from 28 States and 8 Union Territories had urged the Supreme Court of India to take cognizance of the post poll violence in West Bengal continuing since May 2 and erosion of rule of law and institutional breakdown.
The former General Secretary of the Adhivakta Parishad, B Gopakumar Pillai informed that in all 2093, women advocates across the country signed the representation that was submitted to the Apex Court.
The advocates drew the kind attention of the Supreme Court towards the constitutional crisis and deplorable condition of the citizens of the country residing in the State of West Bengal due to the post poll violence continuing since May 2, 2021. The incidents of violence have shackled the conscience of thousands of women lawyers across the length and breadth of ‘Bharat’.
It is stated with utmost grief that the perpetrators of violence have not even spared women and children. There is much more evidence of the victims who have shared their plight with the signatories to the present representation.
“The police are hand in gloves with the goons and the victims are not in a position to even register their complaints,” the lawyers said, adding that there was a complete breakdown of the constitutional machinery in the State. Even the media was silent for the past few days and not showing the true and current picture of the State of West Bengal.
“For this sole purpose, we circulated the attached representation, along with relevant links and placed it for signatures of the Women Advocates only, in the virtual space on 21.05.2021. We felt the level of faith that the thousands of women advocates have on Your Lordships as the custodian of our Constitution, as, in a short spell of 60 hours or so, the number of responses on the representation crossed 2000,” they said in the representation.
The women advocates urged the Supreme Court to constitute a Special Investigation Team to register FIRs and investigate into the deaths and other vengeful attacks as being reported in news and a nodal officer (not belonging to West Bengal Police) to register the complaints of the victims.
The other demands include direct court monitored investigation in a time bound manner, trial by specially constituted fast track court wherever charge sheet is filed by the SIT regarding cases emanating from the post poll violence in the State of West Bengal, compensation for post poll violence victims, by the state government.
Director General of Police of the State of West Bengal may kindly be directed to set up an effective complaint mechanism at all levels on priority basis and to file a daily report before the Hon’ble Supreme Court, regarding the complaints received by the Police Department from all channels. They also sought full protection of the victims.
Directions may be issued to all Commissions i.e National Human Rights Commission, National Commission for Women, National Commission for protection of Child Rights, Commission of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, National Commission for Backward classes to appoint competent nodal officers to record the statements of victims through virtual mode and contact numbers of those nodal officers be widely circulated.
“We all hope that Your Lordships would consider the prayers in our Representation by exercising extraordinary and unfettered powers under ‘The Constitution of India’ which is the need of the hour,” the women advocates said.
