Indian court to decide on lawmakers facing women crimes

NEW DELHI: India’s top court said yesterday it will decide whether to suspend lawmakers facing sexual assault charges as thousands of women gathered at the memorial to independence leader Mohandas K. Gandhi to demand stronger protection for their safety.
The march came as police prepared to formally charge six suspects in the gang-rape and killing of a student in the capital two weeks ago.
The Dec. 16 rape triggered outrage across the country and sparked demands for stronger laws, tougher police action against those accused of sexual assault and a sustained campaign to change society’s views on women.
As part of that campaign, Chief Justice Altamas Kabir agreed to hear a petition today from retired government administrator Promilla Shanker asking the Supreme Court to suspend all lawmakers from the national and state legislatures who are facing prosecution for crimes against women.
She also asked the court to force the national government to fast-track thousands of rape cases that have languished in India’s notoriously sluggish court system for years.
Six state lawmakers are facing rape prosecutions and two national parliamentarians are facing charges of crimes against women that fall short of rape, said Jagdeep S. Chhokar, an official with the Association for Democratic Reforms, which tracks political candidate’s criminal records.
In the past five years, political parties across India nominated 260 candidates awaiting trial on charges of crimes against women, he said. Parties ran six candidates for the national parliamentary elections facing such charges, Chokkar said.
“We need to decriminalize politics and surely a serious effort has to be made to stop people who have serious charges of sexual assault against them from contesting elections,” said Zoya Hasan, a political analyst.
Yesterday morning, several thousand women held a silent march to Gandhi’s memorial in the capital in memory of the victim, holding placards demanding “Respect” and “Justice.” Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit joined the women for a prayer session for the victim. The Gandhi memorial is a common protest site.
Meanwhile, lawyers at the Saket district court in south Delhi, where hearings are set to begin, told AFP yesterday that they would not defend the men, meaning that the government would have to appoint advocates for them.
“We have decided that no lawyer will stand up to defend the rape accused, as it would be immoral to defend the case,” Sanjay Kumar, a lawyer and member of the Saket District Bar Council, told AFP.
Kumar said the 2,500 advocates at the court have decided to “stay away” to ensure “speedy justice.”
On Tuesday, the government set up a task force to monitor women’s safety in New Delhi and to review whether police were properly protecting women. The government had set up two earlier bodies to look into the handling of the rape case and to suggest changes in the nation’s rape laws.