Expedite delivery of justice: Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit

Tribune News Service

Ravneet Singh

Patiala, November 3

Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit today said delivery of justice in India is slow and there is a serious need to expedite it. He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of a three-day International Conference: Securing Justice to Victims of Crime. The conference is being held at Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law in collaboration with Indian Society of Victimology (ISV) and World Society of Victimology.

He said in the present times, court cases are carried on for years. “Cases get delayed for long and something must be done about it,” he said.

He cited a 1978 story when he was approached by some poor people for help. He said, “We stopped government action against them and then 18 persons, including me, were prosecuted in the case. The trial began in 1978 and continued till 2015 when we were acquitted.” He said the lacuna in the case was that the magistrate said a chargesheet would be filed in presence of all 18 accused in the case. “That never happened and the case got prolonged. By the time of the judgement, 15 had already died. The remaining three were acquitted,” he said.

He also gave an example of a woman he had pardoned before attending the conference. He said the woman had spent 12 years behind bars while her court case still continued. “She had already spent a term equivalent to a life term in jail. She deserved a pardon,” he said and added that there was a need to be sympathetic.

He exhorted law students and advocates to read a lot. “You should cultivate the habit of reading if you want to deliver justice,” he said.

The governor said legal assistance must be provided to the poor. “Senior advocates should be large-hearted. They should reserve 25 per cent of their total time for poor people,” he said.

RGNUL Vice Chancellor and ISV president Professor GS Bajpai discussed the need to advance the cause of victimology. He said, “Evolving victim justice must work on the untapped domain of criminology. Countries with high crime rates have an inverse relationship with happiness. Victimology has to promote happiness quotient, enhance public safety, ensure peace and harmony and facilitate achievement of constitutional goals.”

Justice JR Midha, former Delhi High Court Judge and a distinguished RGNUL Professor, said, “The contemporary criminal justice system paradigm focuses on punishing crime through incarceration to reset the moral balance. This paradigm ignores the voice and needs of the most impacted victims. The pervasive problem of victimisation is inability to address the needs of the victims.”

‘Handbook of Laws and Case Laws for Victims of Crime’, authored by Professor GS Bajpai, and ‘Journal of Victimology and Victim Justice’ were released on the occasion.

Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), New Delhi, Professor BB Pande, National Law University, Delhi, Professor Peter Schafer, Treasurer, World Society of Victimology and others were present on the occasion.

Address needs of the victims

Contemporary criminal justice system paradigm focuses on punishing crime through incarceration to reset moral balance. This ignores voice and needs of the most impacted victims. — Justice JR Midha, ex-Delhi HC Judge

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