[dropcap]T[/dropcap]HE Rajasthan High Court has taken suo moto cognizance of a media report on the rising number of rape cases in the state and issued notice to the Director General of Police (DGP) directing him to submit an affidavit before the court in the matter.
“The Rajasthan High Court has taken suo moto cognisance of a media report regarding sexual violence against women. It has asked the Director General of Police, Rajasthan, to submit a reply. The media report stated that in that last three months, 63 cases related to sexual exploitation and rape have been registered. Action has been taken only in three cases”, Farhand Ali Khan, Additional Advocate General, Rajasthan High Court, said.
A two-judge bench of Justices Sandeep Mehta and Vineet Mathur has asked the DGP to submit a detailed affidavit on the next hearing on May 27, 2019.
As per the Rajasthan Police Monthly reports, there has been a steep rise in the number of rape cases in Rajasthan from a total of 960 in 2017 to 1509 cases in 2019.
The High Court’s reaction follows the reported gang rape of a Dalit woman in Alwar on April 26, 2019. The woman was allegedly raped by five men in front of her husband. The police first refused to file an FIR and then delayed the filing, saying “it would be dealt after the elections”.
