The Supreme Court on Monday sought the response of the Centre, states and Union Territories on a PIL seeking chemical castration of rapists and a ban on free online pornography in the context of the RG Kar rape-and-murder case.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan issued formal notices to the ministry of home affairs and the states after briefly hearing senior advocate Mahalakshmi Pavani, appearing for the Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association. The petitioner has sought pan-India guidelines for a safe environment for women, children and transpersons.

Chemical castration as a form of punishment is prevalent in several countries, including some states in the US, the petitioner has submitted.

Pavani told the bench that hundreds of incidents of sexual assault in tier 2 and 3 cities are pushed under the carpet and there was an urgent need to come down heavily on such offences. She also reminded the court that Monday was the anniversary of the 2012 Nirbhaya case in which a 23-year-old woman died after being gang-raped and assaulted in a bus in the national capital.

The incident led to several amendments in the criminal laws that provided for rigorous life terms and death sentences for rape convicts. The petitioner contended that the amendments had failed to deter the culprits and hence measures in the form of chemical castration were required.

“...The gang-rape-cum-murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor in Kolkata of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital... shows that nothing has improved since 2012,” the PIL said.

The PIL has sought an effective ban on free online pornography and public viewing of online porn akin to a ban on smoking in public places across the country.

“It is submitted that, in light of the global trend and success in reducing recidivism rates, chemical castration must be implemented in India as a mandatory punishment for sexual crimes,” the petition added.