Law minister urges CJI to ensure mechanism to monitor quick disposal of rape cases

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday urged the Chief Justice of India and other senior judges to ensure that there is a mechanism to monitor quick disposal of rape cases, saying that the women of the country are under pain and distress and crying for justice.

"I would urge the CJI and other senior judge that now there must be a mechanism to monitor the disposal of these cases so that India's stature as a proud country governed by rule of law must be restored at the earliest," Prasad said, and assured government funding for it.

"The women of the country are under pain and distress. They are crying for justice," he said.

The minister said there are 704 fast-track courts for heinous offences and others and the government is in the process of setting up 1,123 dedicated courts for POCSO and rape offences.

"In the law relating to women violence, we have already laid down capital punishment and other severe punishment including completion of trial in two months time," he added.

He also said India's judiciary, be it the Supreme Court, high courts or subordinate courts, has upheld the principles of the rule of law. But, he stressed, the need to attract more talent in subordinate judiciary.

"We need to reflect more on having attraction of talent in our subordinate judiciary. We should have a good talent pool of judges. The time has come that we need to have greater induction of talent in the judiciary," he said.

The minister was speaking at a function for inauguration of a new building of the Rajasthan High court in Jodhpur.