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Andhra Cabinet Withdraws Disha Bill Pending Presidential Assent
The Andhra Pradesh cabinet has decided to withdraw the 2019 Disha Bill, which proposed completing rape and sexual offence trials within 21 days and allowing the death penalty for heinous crimes. The…
The Story in Brief
The Andhra Pradesh cabinet has decided to withdraw the 2019 Disha Bill, which proposed completing rape and sexual offence trials within 21 days and allowing the death penalty for heinous crimes. The bill, passed unanimously by the Assembly in December 2019, has been pending Presidential assent. Information minister K Parthasarathy said the Union home ministry sought clarifications and advised the state to submit revised legislation. The cabinet also cited the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, in force since July 2024, as laws that already include stronger protections for women and children.
The cabinet approved a pedestrian safety policy, a Rs 1.50 per unit aquaculture electricity subsidy worth nearly Rs 1,150 crore, and draft ease of doing business and PPP policies. It also cleared fresh tenders for the Amaravati Eye project. The state said its PPP project pipeline is worth Rs 1.23 lakh crore, supported by Rs 1,500 crore in viability gap funding.
The Indian Opinion
Claims that tougher penalties alone can guarantee quick justice are too simplistic. The Disha Bill’s 21-day target would have needed investigators, prosecutors and courts with enough staff and evidence-handling capacity. Replacing the bill is defensible if the newer criminal codes cover its aims, but Andhra Pradesh must show how cases will actually move faster. The useful test is the average time taken to investigate and decide sexual offence cases after the new framework begins operating.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
