Acting swiftly on a circular by the Bombay High Court issued on International Women’s Day last week, the first all-women court in the city has been set up at the Kala Ghoda sessions court.

It will exclusively deal with crimes against women, and is a move to ensure women victims of sexual offences, who feel embarrassed or intimidated in court particularly because of presence of males, to depose in a relatively stress-free atmosphere considering that the judicial officers and staff will all be women.

“The earlier staff have been transferred to another court, and women staff from other courts have been assigned jobs here,” confirmed chief public prosecutor Kalpana Chavan.

To Mark International Women’s Day on March 8, Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court Mohit Shah had issued the circular through the HC registrar general stating, “Directions have been issued to assign cases involving sexual assault against women exclusively to courts presided over by women judicial officers. It would be desirable that all staff members, that is bench clerks, stenographers, interpreter, typists, peons and police constables are women.”

Sessions Judge Vrushali Joshi, will be relieved of other cases soon and will only deal with matters pertaining to women, confirmed Chavan.

In its circular, the HC stated dealing with cases involving sexual assault on women needs great sensitivity. “In these cases, women are victims of crime and there is a need to enable them to give their evidence in a stress-free atmosphere and without fear or embarrassment,” the circular reads Chavan said special measures will be taken to ensure that children and women feel secure in the court atmosphere and do not hesitate when they depose. “In many cases, looking at male lawyers and court staff, the victim and witnesses do tend to feel intimidated. This arrangement would prove helpful,” she said.

So far, only the six-month-old murder case of corporate lawyer Pallavi Purkayastha (25) has been assigned to the court. Purkayastha, daughter of an IAS-officer-couple, was murdered at her Wadala flat allegedly by 22-year-old security guard Sajjad Ahmad Mughal alias Sajjad Pathan. While the prosecution had attempted to introduce attempted rape in the draft charges, the court had rejected the section. Pathan has been booked for murder and house- trespass. These sections, if proved, could attract even the death penalty.

What it means for victims

Move to ensure women victims of sexual offences, who feel embarrassed or intimidated in court particularly because of presence of males, to depose in a stress-free atmosphere considering that the judicial officers and staff will all be women

HC said dealing with cases involving sexual assault on women needs sensitivity. “In these cases, women are victims of crime and there is a need to enable them to give their evidence in a stress-free atmosphere, without fear or embarrassment,” the circular reads