MAHARASHTRA Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil on Monday said more than 2,600 cases related to sexual assault were pending with the state forensic laboratories. Responding to a question raised by Pradnya Satav in the Legislative Council, he said, as on January this year, a total of 1,619 cases related to sexual assault on children and 1,052 cases related to sexual assault on women were pending with State forensic laboratories. “There are plans to set up new forensic labs, and administrative approval has come in for the setting up of fast track DNA units in Nashik, Aurangabad and Amaravati,” he said. Walse Patil said the conviction rate in cases related to attacks on women was 15.3 per cent as per the State Home Department’s Crime Bureau report finalised in 2020.

 

He added some 2,29,000 cases connected to women facing attacks were pending in courts in Maharashtra. Mah Council briefly adjourned over demand for action against Pune SP THE Maharashtra Legislative Council was adjourned for 10 minutes on Monday after the Opposition BJP created ruckus in the House and demanded action against Pune Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhinav Deshmukh. BJP member Gopichand Padalkar raised a question about Deshmukh issuing the order of a constable’s transfer on the grounds of the latter having an extramarital affair with a woman. The issue about the transfer order had come to light in March 2021.

 

“How can the transfer order mention a woman’s name and make insulting remarks against her when the order is regarding police constable, Ramchandra Kangud. He has been transferred from Kamshet police station to Otur in Pune district,” Padalkar said in the House. Responding to him, Minister of State for Home Shambhuraj Desai said, “The superintendent of police had visited the woman’s house and personally expressed regret over mentioning her name in the transfer order.” The Opposition members, however, were not satisfied with the Minister’s reply and shouted slogans against the Government. They also displayed flex banners carrying the message that action should be taken against Deshmukh.