HC seeks responses from Centre,hospitals not complying with directives on sexual offences

The court’s directive came after the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) informed the Bench about the non-compliance of hospitals like RML and Lok Nayak with the guidelines issued in May.

The instructions by the Bench had come in response to the PIL filed by the DCW,which was prompted by the acquittal of a man charged with the rape of his four-and-half-year-old daughter after his wife and elder daughter turned hostile during trial.

The court had directed Delhi Police and the DCW to start a ‘crisis intervention centre’ to help out victims of incest crimes. The order also called for special rooms to be set up in all government hospitals for victims to be examined and questioned in privacy.

The counsel for the DCW,however,said that a few visits to the hospitals by the DCW teams revealed that the hospitals’ staffs were not aware of the guidelines. “The Delhi Police has,however,issued standing orders and are complying with the guidelines,” submitted the counsel.