Rate of domestic violence high in Tripura: HC chief justice

Tripura High Court Chief Justice Deepak Kumar Gupta has expressed concern over the high rate of domestic violence, resultant deaths and cases of assault on women in Tripura.

"Tripura, with a population of only 37 lakh, has domestic crime at the highest in the country.

"When seen on the basis of the crime-population ratio, it emerges clearly that the rate of domestic violence in Tripura is at the top in the country," Gupta said after inaugurating an Alternative Dispute Redressal Centre (ADRC) in Udaipur in Gomati district on Saturday.

The ADRC, first of its kind in the northeastern states, would help resolve domestic, petty and non-serious cases amicably.

Justice Gupta said that ever since the setting up of a high court in Tripura, efforts were on to reduce the number of pending cases through speedy disposal.

"When the high court started functioning in March 2013, about 6,000 cases were pending but we have reduced pendency to 33 percent. In the lower courts, 1.19 lakh cases have been pending but we are trying to reduce the pendency of cases there also," he added.

Tripura Law Minister Tapan Chakraborty said two more ADRC would be set up soon in Agartala and Kailashahar towns to settle cases relating to domestic, property-related, theft and other petty disputes amicably out of court.

Subsequently, the ADRCs would be established in all the remaining districts.

"The state government has taken a series of measures including setting up of all-women police stations in all the districts to check crimes against women and domestic violence," Chakraborty added.

To deal with crimes against women, the state government is also increasing the number of women police personnel to one-third of the total police strength.

Currently, 13 percent of the total police constables and ten percent of the total police force are women.