Bangalore: If Minister for Women and Child Welfare H.K. Kumaraswamy keeps his promise, the much-delayed process of appointing Protection Officers (POs) under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, should begin by April.

Speaking to The Hindu , the Minister said the department planned to appoint 140 POs.

Right now Child Development Project Officers are doubling as POs in several places.

One of the principal demands of women's groups in the State is the appointment of POs to exclusively deal with cases related to the Domestic Violence Act.

According to Director of the Department of Women and Child Welfare M.K. Monappa, a proposal to make financial allocation for appointments has already been forwarded to the Finance Department.

The Act, which came into force on October 26, 2006, is seen as a radical piece of legislation that broadens the definition of "violence" and empowers women to fight it by providing security under several provisions.

Pivotal role

POs play a pivotal role in the process by liasing between the aggrieved person and the court. As stated in Section 8 of the Act, a PO is responsible for visiting the site of the crime and recording the incident. He or she is expected to give the aggrieved person immediate notice of her rights and the remedies and services available to her under the Act. Importantly, a PO can be penalised for failing or refusing to discharge his duties.

Statutory requirement

There have been instances in the State of cases being filed under the Act directly with a magistrate. In Bangalore, Sheela Ramanathan of Human Rights Law Network has filed three cases in the Magistrate Court under the Act and got injunction orders.

But the appointment of POs is a must to implement the Act in its entirety, according to her.

"Importantly, it is a statutory requirement under the Act," Ms. Ramanathan said.

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