Police's special women help desk commendable step: Delhi HC

The city police today came in for praise from the Delhi High Court for setting up special women's help desks in every police station across the capital and running "one stop centres" for victims of sexual abuse.
"This is commendable and a salutary step and we feel it will go a long way in serving the victims of crime," a bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Siddharth Mridul said while perusing an affidavit placed before it by Delhi Police.
The court also made it mandatory for teams investigating such crimes to have equipment to carry out full-fledged scientific investigation. It also directed Delhi Police to ensure that such teams are provided with all the necessary equipment as required.

During the hour-long hearing, the bench also suggested a toll free three or four-digit telephone number which could be accessed by any crime victim or anybody in need of any legal assistance.
Listing out the steps taken by the department, senior advocate Neeraj Kishen Kaul, appearing for Delhi Police, informed the bench that every police station in the city now has a special round-the-clock women's help desk to help reduce crimes against women.
One stop centres have been set up in Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU), Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) hospital and Sanjay Gandhi Memorial hospital for which women police officers from Hari Nagar police station, Mangolpuri and Dilshad Garden police stations have been deployed respectively.

Women, who have been sexually assaulted, can walk in to the centres and get medico-legal aid.
The affidavit also contends that the government has okayed scripts for print and electronic advertisement to create awareness about crimes against women.
The court was hearing a plea filed by Nandita Dhar through advocate Gaurav Bansal against the incidents of eve-teasing in the capital.