Odisha government to set up 5 fast-track courts to deal with crime against women: Law Min
BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government will soon set up five fast-track courts in the state to take up cases concerning crimes against women including domestic violence, sexual assault and abuse, said Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Saturday.
Speaking at the 43rd annual conference of Medico Legal Society of Odisha (MLSO) organised at Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital here, he said these fast-track courts will dispose of cases within a period of one month to provide justice to women who are suffering. “Five fast-track courts will be set up in the first phase only to deal with women-related cases. Later, steps will be taken to establish such courts in all 314 blocks in Odisha,” the minister added.
Apart from the fast-track courts, the state government has also decided to set up 40 new civil judge (junior division)-cum-JMFC courts and six new additional civil judge (junior division)-cum-JMFC courts in the state.
Odisha has a massive backlog of over 19 lakh pending cases, including 15.96 lakh criminal cases and 3.26 lakh civil cases across various courts in the state.
Although there is no specific data on cases related to women, Khurda district has the highest number of pending cases with over 2 lakh still awaiting resolution and Boudh has the lowest number of pending cases with over 8,500 criminal cases and little over 470 civil cases.
“The fast-track courts and additional courts being planned will help resolve the pending cases,” Harichandan said. He further added that the role of forensic medicine was crucial in dispensing justice to women victims of crime. “It is necessary for investigating officers in police stations to acquire knowledge about the medico-legal domain,” he said.
Vice-chancellor of SOA Prof Pradipta Kumar Nanda said IMS and SUM Hospital had been greatly contributing in the field of research. This programme would further strengthen the university’s research initiative, he added. SOA’s principal advisor (health sciences) Prof Ashok Kumar Mahapatra and medical superintendent Prof Pusparaj Samantasinghar spoke on the theme of the conference ‘Forensic Frontiers: Ensuring Maternal, Child and Transgender Health for Social Justice’.
Among others, additional director of medical education and training and president of MLSO Dr Braja Kishore Das and SUM Hospital’s head of department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology Dr Kunal Mishra also spoke.