- Reams and reams have been written, spoken, debated, argued, and parodied upon the subject matter,but the sad state of affairs governing the justice delivery system simply doesn’t appear to come to the aid of the commoners desperately looking for relief. A huge number of cases pending at different courts across the country are simply mind-boggling, including the Supreme Court. The less said, the better about the lakhs of undertrials languishing in various jails awaiting their turn to be heard. The popular saying the justice delayed is justice denied gets conveniently neglected since the humongous backlog of cases and the undertrials’ wait for justice continues perpetually. Why can’t we initiate requisite measures to address these glaring anomalies with intent?
PC: IndiaAI
- To its credit, the Supreme Court has initiated a few workable solutions to mitigate the common citizens’ cry for legal help from time to time. However, the sheer volume of pending cases/undertrials is proving to be one helluva challenging even as cases keep piling up incessantly. On top of it, frustratingly, conviction rates are proving to be way below expectations, rendering the victims and their families completely distraught with the adverse outcome. Take, for instance, the case of Mohd Akhlaq. Ten years ago, a mob dragged him out of his Dadri home and lynched him. Justice moves tortuously slowly in the country, which can be easily comprehended in the instant case. Mohd Akhlaq’s killers still haven’t been convicted, and barely raise eyebrows.
PC: Jugantor
- But even by our shabby standards, it defies belief that the state has now decided to withdraw the charges against all the accused. Supposed reason: inconsistencies in the statements of prosecution witnesses. But surely the solution is to build a stronger case. Law & order would mean diddlysquat if the state just looked the other way every time such a challenge came up. The court that rejected this prosecution plea as baseless found itself asking incredulously: Have you ever heard of a murder case being withdrawn? Incredible, happens only in India. When justice is stained even in cases that proceed under a heavy public gaze, it spreads an awful hopelessness through those proceeding under routine light. There are other questionable rulings as well, of late.
PC: LawChakra
- Delhi HC’s decision to suspend the jail term of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar is another such blemished moment. Supposed reason: MLA is not a public servant. Recall that this 2017 Unnao case saw real movement only after the SC transferred it to Delhi. Only then was Sengar convicted both of raping a minor and conspiring in her father’s death. The Survivor and the family’s fear of re-drawing the wrath of Sengar’s henchmen is logical. There’s something terribly wrong with the justice delivery wheels. Thankfully, a special POCSO court has convicted five men for the gruesome gangrape of a mother and daughter along NH-91, nine years ago. The victims of some of the gravest crimes perpetrated against them must be feeling victimized by the developments.
