The Supreme Court on Thursday hinted at evolving a mechanism for the speedy hearing of cases related to crimes against women. This observation was made by a bench of Chief Justice Altamas Kabir, Justice J Chelameswar and Justice Vikramjit Sen when a case, filed in 2005, was mentioned for early hearing. The petition has challenged the acquittal of 35 persons by the Kerala high court, who were accused in 1996 of gangraping a 16-year-old girl for 40 days. This case is known as as Survanelli rape case.
‘We are contemplating to evolve a mechanism for speedy hearing of cases related to sexual offences against women within a week,’ the court said as the plea for an early hearing of the Survanelli rape case came up before it. There were 42 accused in the case and on 6 September 2000, a special court convicted 35 of them and sentenced them to varying terms of rigorous imprisonment. The Kerala HC, however, acquitted all of them but one, who was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.
Then the case came to SC in 2005, challenging the acquittal of the accused and since then the appeal is pending.
Chief Justice Kabir, on 5 January, had written letters to the chief justices of all high courts to fast track cases of sexual and other criminal offences against women by subordinate courts as well high courts.
The letter had said that a large number of cases of crimes against women were pending in various high courts and trial courts and there was a marked increase in such cases in recent times. It had said that ‘on account of such delay, deterrence pales into insignificance.’
‘Time has come when these cases have to be dealt with expeditiously, lest we should fail in our endeavour to arrest the sharp increase of crimes of violence against women,’ said the letter by Chief Justice Kabir to high court chief justices.
‘We are contemplating to evolve a mechanism for speedy hearing of cases related to sexual offences against women within a week,’ the court said as the plea for an early hearing of the Survanelli rape case came up before it. There were 42 accused in the case and on 6 September 2000, a special court convicted 35 of them and sentenced them to varying terms of rigorous imprisonment. The Kerala HC, however, acquitted all of them but one, who was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.
Then the case came to SC in 2005, challenging the acquittal of the accused and since then the appeal is pending.
Chief Justice Kabir, on 5 January, had written letters to the chief justices of all high courts to fast track cases of sexual and other criminal offences against women by subordinate courts as well high courts.
The letter had said that a large number of cases of crimes against women were pending in various high courts and trial courts and there was a marked increase in such cases in recent times. It had said that ‘on account of such delay, deterrence pales into insignificance.’
‘Time has come when these cases have to be dealt with expeditiously, lest we should fail in our endeavour to arrest the sharp increase of crimes of violence against women,’ said the letter by Chief Justice Kabir to high court chief justices.