Hyderabad, January 2: The Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday appointed two female bureaucrats as Special Officers for implementing the DISHA Act 2019. The state government named Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Dr Kritika Shukla and Indian Police Service (IPS) officer M Deepika as DISHA special officers. Shukla, who is currently serving as Director, Women Development and Child Welfare, is given an additional charge of DISHA special officer. Meanwhile, Deepika was additional Superintendent of Police (Administration), Kurnool before being appointed as DISHA Special Officer. Disha App to be Launched in Andhra Pradesh For Safety of Women in State.

The DISHA act aims at providing speedy trial and faster execution in cases of sexual offences against women. The act passed unanimously in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on December 13, 2019. The act was passed days after 26-year-old veterinarian in Hyderabad was gangraped and brutality murdered in Hyderabad.

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With the passage of the DISHA Act, Andhra Pradesh became the first state to enact a law aimed at awarding capital punishment to the guilty in specified offences against women. The act also intends to expedite trial in cases of sexual offences against women within 21 days of committing the crime.

The state government will constitute exclusive special courts in every district for speedy trials. The AP Disha Act- Criminal Law (Andhra Pradesh Amendment) Act, 2019 made amendments to the Indian Penal Code (1860) and added new sections, 354E. This step was taken to address cases relating to harassment of woman, including abuse on social media platforms and making repeated romantic proposals to women.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 02, 2020 11:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).