Fast track court judges appointed for rape trials: Gujarat High Court

The Gujarat High Court has appointed two fast-track court judges for hearing cases related to the rape of a 14-month-old baby in Sabarkantha and two minor girls in Surat, the state government said on Friday.

In a notification, the Gujarat High Court appointed Sabarkantha's principal district judge KB Gujarati as the fast track court judge for the trial in connection to the September 28 rape of the 14-month-old child in Sabarkantha, the state government said.

The state government said that Surat's principal district judge RK Desai has been appointed as the fast track court judge for the rape of two minor girls in Surat. The development comes a few days after Chief Minister Vijay Rupani's assurance for a fast-track trial into the rape cases.

The state government said it stood with the innocent rape victims and their families. "The government is committed to ensuring strict punishment for the guilty persons, and to provide justice to victims," it added.

It was the rape of the 14-month-old baby in Sabarkantha by a migrant worker on September 28 that sparked off violence against migrants at several places in the state. The violence led to the migration of an estimated 70,000 people, mainly from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar, from Sabarkantha, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Mehsana, and other places.

However, the exodus is down to a trickle for the past couple of days on account of a series of confidence-building measures initiated by the authorities, industry, and associations of migrants.

PROCESS EXPEDITED

Gujarat HC appointed Sabarkantha’s principal district judge KB Gujarati as the fast track court judge for the trial