HC moved on spl courts for cyber pornography cases against women

The Division Bench, comprising Justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad before whom the public interest litigation (PIL) moved by Krishnapriya Foundation of Chennai came up on Monday, issued notice to the Home Department, the Social Welfare Department and the DGP and directed them to file their counter by June 13.

The PIL, while referring to the Pollachi sexual abuse case and how the identity of the victim was revealed by the government itself, said the government should impart training and conduct workshops for police personnel to sensitise them on the trauma faced by the victims.

The plea also sought for establishing counselling centres in all police stations across the state for women to handle internet pornography offences covered under IT Act, 2000.

Stating that it was just and necessary for the educational institutions to conduct workshops, awareness programmes and constitute strict disciplinary committees to deal exclusively with these offences, the petitioner said punishments for the same ought to be very stringent.

The petitioner, while stressing the need of establishment of counselling centres in Tamil Nadu as psychological wounds were harder to heal than bodily injuries, also sought to sensitise the print and digital media from safeguarding the complainant’s privacy.