The National Commission for Women (NCW) has urged chief minister Prithviraj Chavan to ensure that speedy justice is delivered to victims of rape.
In a letter to Chavan, Nirmala Samant-Prabhavalkar, member of the NCW and chairperson of the panel’s committee that is probing the August 22 gang rape of a photojournalist, noted that the trial of the murder of a woman lawyer at Bhakti Park, Wadala, last August, was still to conclude. The lawyer was allegedly murdered by Sajjad Mogul, a 28-year-old watchman of the building where she stayed as a tenant.
Samant-Prabhavalkar noted that fast-track courts were not able to complete trials due to a variety of difficulties and she asked the chief minister to iron them out.
Samant-Prabhavalkar, who is an advocate by profession, will meet Chavan on Saturday to follow up on her letter. She sent the letter to Chavan last week, pointing out the plight of the family members of the victims who are deeply saddened over the slow pace of trials even in fast-track courts. She noted that if these courts are also going to deliver their verdicts after considerable delay, the very purpose of setting them up is defeated.
The NCW committee has already submitted its interim report regarding the gang rape of the photojournalist to the commission along with its recommendations. One of the recommendation is that fast-track courts should deliver justice expeditiously.
Speaking to dna over the phone from New Delhi, Samant-Prabhavalkar said, “There are many sensitive and sensational cases pending since more than a year before fast-track courts in the state.” She asked how the photo journalist can expect fast justice when earlier rape cases are pending before fast-track courts. She said every step should be taken to ensure that fast-track courts deliver speedy justice.
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