Once again questions are being raised across the country regarding the safety of women. After the Kolkata incident, the thieves and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are also being criticized. In such a situation, there is a demand to make strict laws for women. NowPrime Minister Narendra Modihas also spoken on this.Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for speedy resolution of cases of crimes against women, saying the faster decisions are taken in such cases, “the greater the assurance of safety of half the population.”
Speaking at the National Conference of District Judiciary in Delhi, PM Modi said, “Today atrocities against women and safety of children are a matter of serious concern for the society.”He said, “Many strict laws have been made in the country for the safety of women. A scheme for fast-track special courts was made in 2019. Under this, there is a provision of statement centers for important witnesses.”
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PM Modi said, “The role of District Monitoring Committees can be important in this too. District Judge, District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police also participate in this committee. Their role is important in coordinating various aspects of the criminal justice system. We need to make these committees more active.”
The Prime Minister highlighted the important role of policies and laws along with infrastructure and technological advancements in the country’s journey of transformation. He said that the country has made major and significant changes in the legal framework for the first time in over 70 years of Independence. Referring to the new judicial system as the Indian Judicial Code, the Prime Minister said that the spirit of these laws is ‘citizen first, honour first and justice first’. He said that India’s criminal laws have been freed from the colonial mindset of rulers and slaves.
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He said, “Colonial laws like sedition have been repealed.” The PM said that on one hand, strict laws have been made on crimes against women and children. On the other hand, for the first time, community service has been provided as part of the punishment for minor crimes. Electronic and digital records have also been recognised as evidence under the Indian Evidence Act.
Under the Indian Civil Defence Code, provision has been made to send summons in electronic mode. This will also reduce the burden of pending cases on the judiciary. He called for taking necessary steps to train the district judiciary in this new system under the guidance of the Supreme Court and suggested that judges and lawyers become a part of this campaign.
He said, “Our lawyers and bar associations have an important role to play in making the public familiar with this new system.” Modi underlined that the 75-year journey of the Supreme Court is also the journey of India’s Constitution, its values and India evolving as a democracy. The PM said that “the people of India have never shown any distrust towards the Supreme Court of India or the judiciary.”
Modi said that “the judiciary is considered the guardian of our democracy”. Calling it a great responsibility in itself, he lauded the efforts of the Supreme Court in discharging its responsibilities in this direction. The PM remarked that the judiciary has upheld the spirit of justice since independence and praised it for playing a key role in protecting the Constitution even during the Emergency.
He further said that the Supreme Court has also protected fundamental rights and whenever the question of national security arose, the judiciary has protected the unity and integrity of the country by keeping national interest paramount. PM Modi informed that about 4.5 crore cases are pending in the district courts and work has been done at many levels in the last decade to end this delay in justice.
He said that about Rs 8,000 crore has been spent for the development of judicial infrastructure. He said that 75 percent of the money spent on judicial infrastructure in the last 25 years has been spent during the 10 years of his government. He said, “In these 10 years, more than 7.5 thousand court halls and 11 thousand residential units have been prepared for the district judiciary.”
