Setting up of fast-track courts to try rape cases is not sufficient to ensure speedy justice to the victims, the Supreme Court has said, favouring "drastic" amendment in the law for quick disposal of such matters.
"Fast-track courts no doubt are constituted for expeditious disposal of cases involving the charge of rape at the trial stage, but we are perturbed and anguished to notice that although there are fast-track courts for disposal of such cases, we do not yet have a fast-track procedure for dealing with cases of rape and gangrape with the result that such heinous offences are repeated incessantly," a bench headed by Justice Gyan Sudha Misra said.
"We are of the considered opinion that there is pressing need to introduce drastic amendments into the CrPC," it said.
Expressing concern that the Centre was not taking any steps to amend the law to ensure fast-track procedure, the apex court sought response from the government on why statements of victims and witnesses in rape cases be not recorded by a judicial magistrate which can be treated as an evidence instead of the police recording them which is inadmissible.
The bench said that it would put an end to recording of evidence of the victim and other witnesses multiple times which is the primary reason for delay of the trial.
