In the backdrop of the rape and murder of a Kolkata doctor and sexual assault on two kindergarten girls in Maharashtra’s Thane region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reiterated the need and urgency to ensure safety of women, particularly at the workplace and called for quick disposal of cases of crimes against women. He said, “The faster justice is done in such cases, the greater will be the assurance of safety for half the population.”
Speaking at the National Conference of District Judiciary in Delhi, the Prime Minister emphasised that atrocities against women and the safety of children were a serious concern in society today. On this occasion, the Prime Minister also unveiled the stamp and coin commemorating 75 years of the establishment of the Supreme Court of India. The two-day conference was organised by the Supreme Court of India to discuss the issues related to the district judiciary such as infrastructure and human resources, inclusive courtrooms for all, judicial security and judicial wellness, case management and judicial training.
Modi pointed out that many strict laws were enacted to ensure the safety of women in the country. He added that in 2019, the Government had planned to establish fast-track special courts. Explaining further, he said that there was a provision for a deposition center for important witnesses under the fast-track special courts. He further emphasised the important role of district monitoring committees under fast-track special courts, consisting of the district judge, district magistrate and superintendent of police.
“Judiciary is considered as the Guardian of our Democracy”, said the Prime Minister. Referring to the role of judiciary in protecting the Constitution and the spirit of law, the Prime Minister said the judiciary is considered the guardian of the Constitution, and that the Supreme Court and the judiciary have measured up to this responsibility. He added that the committee’s role was important in promoting coordination between various aspects of the criminal justice system. Modi stressed on the need to make these committees more active. He added that the quicker the decisions in cases related to atrocities against women, the greater will be the assurance of safety for half the population.
The Kolkata incident has also become a flashpoint between the TMC Government in West Bengal and the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre. On Friday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Modi, reiterating her request for stringent Central legislation and exemplary punishment for heinous crimes like rape and murder.
In response, Union minister Annapurna Devi asserted that existing laws were stringent enough to tackle violence and crimes against women and urged the West Bengal Government to implement the same in “letter and spirit”.
The Government launched the Fast Track Special Court (FTSC) scheme in 2019 to tackle pending cases of crimes against women and those filed under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. Since its inception, these courts have disposed of more than 2.53 lakh cases.
Prime Minister Modi highlighted the crucial role of policies and laws along with infrastructural and technological advancements in the transformational journey of the nation. Therefore, Modi said, the nation has made such big and important changes in the legal framework for the first time in 70 years of Independence. Referring to the new Indian judicial system in the form of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Prime Minister said that the spirit of these laws is ‘Citizen First, Dignity First and Justice First’.
He pointed out that India’s criminal laws have been freed from the colonial mindset of rulers and slaves. He gave the example of repealing a colonial-era law like sedition. Throwing light on the idea behind the Nyaya Sanhita being to not punish citizens but protect them, PM Modi mentioned the implementation of stricter laws for crimes against women and children, and provisions of community service as punishment for minor crimes for the first time. Modi also spoke about Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam and said that electronic and digital records have been recognised as evidence under the new laws. He also mentioned the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita and said that a system is in place to send summons electronically to reduce the burden of pending cases on the judiciary.
The Prime Minister also urged to take necessary steps to train the district judiciary in this new system under the guidance of the Supreme Court. He also suggested judges and lawyer colleagues become a part of this campaign. “Our lawyers and bar associations have an important role in making the public familiar with this new system”, he added.
Throwing light on the efforts in the past 10 years to facilitate delivery of justice, the Prime Minister referred to the work being done for the modernisation of courts at the mission level and highlighted the contributions of the Supreme Court and the judiciary.
Pointing out the pendency of about 4.5 crore cases in the district courts, PM Modi said that work has been carried out at multiple levels in the last decade to eliminate this delay in justice. He said that the country has spent about Rs 8,000 crore for the development of judicial infrastructure. He further added that 75 percent of the funds spent on judicial infrastructure in the last 25 years took place only in the last 10 years. “In these 10 years, more than 7.5 thousand court halls and 11 thousand residential units have been built for the district judiciary,” he added.
Describing the imposition of the Emergency as a “dark” period, he said the judiciary played a key role in upholding fundamental rights. On matters of national security, Modi said, the judiciary has protected national integrity by keeping national interests paramount. Terming the judiciary as a “strong pillar” of the vision of a developed India, he said the district judiciary is the foundation of the Indian judicial system.
“The common citizen of the country first knocks on your (the lower courts) door for justice. Therefore, this is the first point of justice, this is the first step,” Modi said.
