This DNA editorial talks about fast track courts for rape cases. It points out that a trial that drags on for years hurts the victim as much as the actual rape did, and that it allows perpetrators to tamper with evidence and intimidate prosecution witnesses. It congratulates a Rajasthan court for returning a verdict in a rape case within a month of charges being pressed.
I am as pleased as the editor that the fast-track court was able to bring in a verdict quickly, but the fact that we are talking about fast-track courts points to how pathetic our justice system is. All our courts need to deliver verdicts as quickly as this fast-track court: whether for rape cases, murder cases, or civil cases. Slow justice in the criminal courts helped acquit Manu Sharma and allows Salman Khan to remain unpunished for running over pavement dwellers. For perpetrators who are not as rich or politically well-connected, it means that they are imprisoned in judicial custody for longer than a guilty verdict would call for. In civil cases, it locks up billions of rupees in legal costs, and lost commercial opportunities.
The moral and economic costs that the state of the judiciary imposes on India means that judicial and legal reform is now more important than any economic reforms that the Finance Ministry or the RBI might bring forward.
The fact that we can make a big fuss about a verdict delivered in 3 months time only underscores the pathetic state of the judicial system which seems geared towards keeping the burgeoning ranks of lawyers alive and kicking.
The plus side is that its possible given the political will and if this can be made the norm rather than the exception.