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Source: The post is based on an article “Stop the stalker: Plug legal loopholes, tell cops to adopt zero tolerance” published in The Times of India on 3rd September 2022.
Syllabus: GS 2 – Criminal Justice System
Relevance: stalking and problems associated with it
Context: This article discusses about the problems related to stalking and police in India.
Since 2013, Stalking has been a clearly defined criminal offence. However, stalking incidents are still taking place.
Recently two stalking incidents took place – one in Jharkhand where a schoolgirl was burnt to death by a young man. In another such incident, in Delhi, a schoolgirl was shot despite a complaint to the police.
What are the issues associated with stalking?
The cases of stalking have increased from 1,091 in 2014 to 9,285 in 2021 and there are many cases with pending trial.
Section 345D of IPC criminalizes stalking but the problem with the law is that it is bailable.
Stalking should be made non-bailable like Sections 354 and 506 of IPC. The police should adopt zero tolerance against stalkers.
What are the problems faced by the police?
The police are exhausted due to the large amount of work. The ratio of police to population is also very less.
There are fewer women police compared to men police.
