All District DCPs Sensitized For Sharing Data Of Cases Pertaining To Sexual Offences With DSLSA: Delhi Police To High Court

The Delhi Police has informed the Delhi High Court that all the Districts' DCPs have been sensitized and necessary Standing Orders have been issued so that the entire data with respect to the cases pertaining to sexual offences can be shared with the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA).

The development came after Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri earlier sought to streamline the process of supplying FIRs pertaining to commission of sexual offences DSLSA for the purposes of granting interim compensation to the victims.

Victim Compensation Scheme: Delhi HC Seeks Measures To Address Default In Sharing Data With DSLSA Apropos FIRs Pertaining To Sexual Offences

The Court was informed by the Delhi Police that all the District DCPs have stated on affidavits that the data pertaining to the years 2012 to 2018 has already been shared with the DSLSA and that no case was left out.

On the other hand, Kanwal Jeet Arora, Member Secretary of DSLSA submitted that a sensitization programme was conducted on January 11 wherein all the officials of Delhi Police were sensitised with respect to timely forwarding of FIRs registered under sec. 376 or 363 of IPC and the POCSO Act and other cases where the said provisions are added later on.

He informed that the said sensitization programme was done to ensure that all necessary steps for awarding interim compensation to the victims in deserving cases could be taken at the earliest.

It was further submitted that sensitisation programmes' shall be continued in future where not only the officials from the Delhi Police but also the counsellors from Delhi Commission of Women would be made to join.

"Let the compliance affidavit be filed by the respondent/State before the next date of hearing with an advance copy thereof to the learned counsels for the parties," the Court said while posting the matter for further hearing on February 16.

During the last course of hearing, keeping in view that such default in sharing of data apropos is recurring in nature, the Court had sought measures to ensure that no victim is left without compensation/counseling .

The DSLSA had informed the Court that he had written to the District Judge Headquarters, calling upon all Special Judge(s) dealing in POCSO matters to share the record in how many cases before them, compensation is yet not given to the victims. 

Further, he had stated that a letter will be addressed to the Director General of Prosecution, asking him to sensitize all the prosecutors to check if the victim has been given compensation, before filing of charge sheet.

Further, to ensure that such discrepancy in sharing of data is not repeated in future, the Court was also informed that the Commissioner of Police, Delhi will also issue a circular directing all the Investigating Officers stating that whenever provisions pertaining to sexual offences are added to an FIR at a later stage, a copy of the same is sent to the DSLSA.

Case Title: Umesh v. State (and other connected matters)

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