Convene meeting to set up one-stop crisis centre: HC to DSLSA

The Delhi High Court Wednesday asked the state legal services authority to convene a meeting of major stakeholders within two weeks to set up a one-stop crisis centre (OSCC) to provide assistance to women victims of crime.

To streamline the role of various authorities in setting up and running an OSCC to provide assistance to victims of sexual violence, a bench of Justice B.D. Ahmed and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva asked the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) to convene the meeting.

The bench asked DSLSA to convene a meeting with representatives from police, Department of Health Services, Directorate of Prosecution, Delhi Commission for Women, and other experts in the field.

Giving a deadline of Feb 11, the next date of hearing, the court asked the DSLSA to also come out with a document on standard operating procedures (SOP) for the OSCC.

So far, such single window systems have been set up in Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital and GTB Hospital for which women police officers from three different police stations - Hari Nagar, Dilshad Garden and Mangolpuri - have been deputed to immediately respond to calls of victims of sexual abuse.

These centres are attached to the district hospitals of the state governments and provide medical and legal help to the victims.

They also help in registering police complaints, and also provide counselling service to rape victims.

The court was hearing a plea filed by Nandita Dhar through advocate Gaurav Bansal against incidents of harassment in the capital.