The Centre on Saturday issued an advisory for States and Union Territories to prevent crimes against women. The advisory came as the country is witnessing widespread outrage over the alleged Hathras gangrape incident in Uttar Pradesh.

The Ministry of Home Affairs reminded the governments of states and union territories of existing laws for mandatory action by police in cases of crimes against women.

The ministry listed three important sections of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) that include "compulsory registration of FIR", completion of the investigation (in relation to rape) within two months and a mandatory medical examination (in a rape or sexual assault case) to be conducted by a registered medical professional, with the consent of the individual, within 24 hours of receiving information of such offence, reported Times Now.

"It is requested that States/UTs, may suitably issue instructions to all concerned to ensure strict compliance with the provisions in the law… also requested to monitor the cases on ITSSO (an online portal to track sexual offence cases) to ensure suitable follow up action," the notice read.

The advisory further said that "failure of police to adhere to these mandatory requirements may not augur well for the delivery of criminal justice in the country, especially in the context of women safety" and warned of "stringent action" against those flouting these rules.