DISHA BILL 2019

DISHA BILL: A NEW HOPE FOR THE WOMEN OF ANDHRA PRADESH

Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on 13th Dec 2019 has passed a Disha Bill ( Andhra Pradesh Criminal law (Amendment) Act 2019). The AP Disha Act prescribes life imprisonment for sexual offenses against children and includes Section 354 F and 354 G in IPC.

Who is Disha?

Disha is the name given to a veterinarian who was raped and murdered in Hyderabad on November 27. She was allegedly abducted by four men who offered to help her fix her bike’s flat tyre. The four accused were arrested amid widespread protests across the nation seeking justice for the victim and all four accused were killed in an encounter. Following the incidents, Andhra Pradesh government promised to table legislation in the ongoing assembly session to ensure stronger punishment and speedy disposal of cases, especially in cases of crimes against women.

Key Features of the Disha Bill

1. The bill provides for awarding death sentence for offences of rape and gang rape and expediting trials of such cases to within 21 days.

1. The Act envisages the completion of investigation in seven days and trial in 14 working days, where there is adequate conclusive evidence, and reducing the total judgment time to 21 days from the existing four months. 

1. The AP Disha Act also prescribes life imprisonment for other sexual offenses against children and includes Section 354 F and 354 G in IPC. In cases of harassment of women through social or digital media, the Act states two years imprisonment for the first conviction and four years for second and subsequent convictions. 

1. For this, a new Section 354 E will be added in IPC, 1860.