In another horrific incident of burning and murder, a college lecturer in Wardha, Maharashtra, died on Monday after she was attacked by a stalker. The victim was walking to her college from a bus stop when her attacker hurled petrol at her and set her on fire in full public view. The incident has caused much outrage and now Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has said that the trial in the case will be carried out speedily.
But such promises of speedy trials do not inspire anymore. Case in point is the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case that has dragged on for more than seven years. And despite the Supreme Court confirming the death penalty for four of the accused in the case, justice remains to be done with petitions and pleas still pending at different stages. If such a high profile case can take so long to find closure, then it’s anybody’s guess how long lower profile but equally gruesome cases will take to see justice. Speedy trials should mean completion of the judicial process within a reasonably short time frame encompassing a clean appeals process.
Of late, there has been a rash of assault cases where the victims have been burnt. Recall that an Unnao rape victim was also burnt alive last year while she was on her way to court. Only genuinely speedy trials and convictions can strengthen law and order and prevent such crimes. The Wardha assault looks like an open and shut case. Judicial processes can’t be slothful here.
