Kolkata: In a novel initiative the Calcutta High Court on Monday ordered that the number of street lights in the rural areas of West Bengal should be increased as soon as possible to prevent incidents of rape in the State.
The Bench of Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj issued the instruction during the hearing of a bunch of PILs on rape victims in the State not receiving compensation in due time.
During the hearing advocate Sushma Saha Dutta claimed that in several cases of rape and gang rape the victims have either received inadequate compensation or have not received any compensation at all.
The bench then asked the State Government why the rape victims are not being provided with compensation. The counsel for the State Government on Monday filed an affidavit admitting that the rape victims were not receiving adequate compensation adding that related laws are being amended to resolve the issue.
The State Government submitted that the related file has already been forwarded to the Finance Department adding that after the amendment is executed rape victims will receive adequate compensation in due time.
Responding to the State government's affidavit advocate Dutta said that even 75 years after Independence there is no electricity in scores of villages in rural Bengal leaving the village roads in darkness after the evening which often leads to incidents rape.
It was at this point the bench said that the number of street lights in the rural districts of Bengal should be increased as soon as possible to prevent incidents of rape. " The Calcutta High Court has issued an order to increase the number of streetlights in the rural areas of West Bengal as soon as possible to prevent incidents of rape," said advocate Dutta.
She also said that the court has set up a committee in this regard adding that it has instructed the committee to submit its report by January next year informing the court how many streetlights will be required to light up the rural areas of Bengal's Purulia district.
The court also said that it will issue its next order on the matter after seeing how many streetlights will be required and if needed will instruct the State Government to allocate adequate funds for the task. It also said that if the initiative turns out to be a success in Purulia, it may then be extended to other districts also.
