An advocate in Mumbai has asked the President of India to set up a National Mission for Women’s Safety and Dignity, warning that persistent enforcement gaps are causing a “constitutional injury” to guarantees of equality and life under the Constitution.
National Mission for Women’s Safety and the case for urgent reform
In a detailed representation, advocate Hitendra D. Gandhi described the situation as a constitutional emergency. He argued that when women live in fear and reporting becomes risky, equality and liberty become conditional rather than guaranteed. “When reporting becomes risky, and process itself becomes punishment, the injury touches the Republic’s core,” he wrote.
Gandhi pointed to data from the National Crime Records Bureau showing crimes against women rose from 244,270 in 2012 to 448,211 in 2023, an average of more than a thousand reported offences every day. The figures cited include nearly 29,670 rapes, 88,605 kidnappings, 83,891 assaults to outrage modesty, and 6,156 dowry deaths, alongside cyber-enabled crimes and trafficking. Gandhi warned these numbers reflect only the visible portion, with many survivors remaining silent because they fear the process will punish them more than the offender.
The representation identifies recurring institutional failings. Prevention is ineffective where harassment is normalised. First response falters when complaints are delayed or mishandled. Protection breaks down if witnesses remain exposed. Investigations lose pace because of forensic backlogs and repeated adjournments. Accountability stalls when dereliction carries no consequence.
Gandhi argued that these failures do more than impede justice: they embolden offenders and teach society that constitutional protections can be bent. He listed a string of high-profile incidents that exposed systemic vulnerability, including the 2012 Delhi gang rape, the Shakti Mills case, the Unnao and Kathua incidents, the Muzaffarpur shelter home scandal, the Hyderabad veterinarian case, the Hathras matter, violence in Manipur and a 2025 case in Phaltan in which a police officer was accused of repeated sexual assault and harassment.
The representation also referenced a recent controversy in Bihar where a Chief Minister was filmed pulling a woman doctor’s veil at a public event. Gandhi described that act as a constitutional affront and urged a “Dignity in Public Life” protocol for holders of public authority, recognising bodily autonomy and consent boundaries as standards of conduct.
His mission-mode recommendations include clear timelines for prompt FIR registration and medical care, real-time survivor and witness protection, faster forensic processing, time-bound trials for sexual offences and POCSO cases, and strict accountability for delays and mishandling. He also called for institutional safety standards for workplaces, hospitals and shelters, and for district-wise transparency through public dashboards tracking investigation timelines, forensic turnarounds and compliance actions.
Gandhi emphasised the need for reforms to be verifiable and not reduced to slogans. The representation demands measurable targets and penalties for non-compliance so improvements can be monitored by citizens and civil society. If adopted, the measures would aim to restore public trust and ensure that the constitutional promise of equal citizenship and dignity becomes a lived reality rather than a formal assurance.
Key Takeaways:
- An advocate from Mumbai has urged the President to start a National Mission for Women’s Safety to address systemic failures in reporting, investigation and protection.
- The representation highlights a sharp rise in crimes against women and calls for time-bound reforms including prompt FIR registration, forensic speed and witness protection.
- High-profile cases and institutional delays are cited as evidence that dignity and equal citizenship are being undermined.
- The proposal demands verifiable district-level dashboards and strict accountability to restore public trust in law enforcement.
