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Bengaluru: 165 cases, only 4 solved in fast-track courts

‘There have been no convictions in the past year’

Bengaluru: As Bengaluru deals with a rape case a day, the government found itself under heavy fire.

Chief Minister Siddaramiah's only defence was that fast track courts have been set up to try these cases and that the perpetrators will be convicted. However, his words only serve to cover up the actual situation.

165 cases have been brought before the fast-track courts in Bengaluru and only four have been resolved, all of them acquittals.

There have been no convictions in the past year. “On the day of the first hearing at the fast-track court, the child and her family were present, but the judge could not make it as he was ill. A month later, when we went back to the court for the second hearing, the cops arrived without the accused. Why is there a month-long gap between hearings? What is the point of fast-track courts when there is nothing fast about them?”

This is the heart-rending testimony by a close relative of the two-and-a-half year old child who was raped by the van driver in her play school in January this year.

The relative called the Deccan Chronicle office, introducing herself as Mrs Singh and went on to describe the trauma that the child and her family are going through.

On the day of the incident, the little girl was missing from her class of five students for over an hour, which went unnoticed by the teacher.

The teacher is a secondary accused in the case, along with the ayah who handed the child, who was crying for her mother, over to the van driver who subsequently raped her. “Both the teacher and the ayah were charged and released on bail, they are not required to appear in court,” said Mrs Singh.

The case, which was wrapped up within the stipulated 90-day period thanks to the intervention of Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar, was presented to the fast track courts meant exclusive for the speedy disposition of justice in sexual assault cases.

In all, 165 cases have been presented to the fast track courts in Bengaluru so far. How many convictions have been made? None.

Only four cases have been resolved and all have resulted in acquittals. This information came to light through a report prepared by Karnataka High Court Advocate Jayna Kothari, who is also the founder of the Centre for Law and Policy Research.

According to information obtained through RTIs, there are no special procedures made out for the functioning of these special courts. “Instead of instituting fast track courts, the courts of three Additional City Civil and Sessions Judges at the Bangalore Courts have been designated as special courts for trying crimes against women,’’ said the report. An RTI filed on the procedures marked out for the functioning of these courts received the reply, “This is not applicable as there are no fast track courts.”

“We raised this issue with the Chief Minister, who seems to think that his work is done because the government order has been passed,” said Revathy Ashok, CEO, BPAC and Convener, B.Safe.

( Source : dc )
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