Fast-track trials of rape accused, demand activists

Hyderabad: Social rights activists on Saturday demanded the government to fast track execution of the convict who was awarded capital punishment for raping and killing a nine-month-old girl in Warangal in June this year.

Parents of other victims who took part in the conference requested the state government to speed up trials of the other accused of rape and murder of children.

Activist and Member of the State Legal Cell Authority Zoya Mahveen addressing the media at Media Plus Auditorium during a press conference on Saturday thanked the government, Judiciary and the Law Enforcement Department for the speedy trials of the accused in Hanamkonda minor girl rape case.

She said, “The Warangal police set an example by accumulating evidence and connecting the dots to file the charge sheet in just 21 days.” The judiciary set an example by helping the victim’s family by pronouncing judgment in just 51 days.”

“These are rarest of the rare instances,” she said urging the state government and the law enforcement to carry out speedy trials of the accused in other cases in the state. Both the Centre and the state have helped our activism by proactively extending cooperation. She appreciated the support of Minister of Home Affairs Kishan Reddy and the police.

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There are lakhs of cases pending in courts, and any delay in execution of the convicted might leverage his chances in higher courts to escape punishment with the help of agencies vouching for human rights, Zoya added.

Challenging commutation of punishment on the basis of human rights, she fervently questioned, “unless criminals are seriously punished for their heinous crimes, how can the crime be prevented from spreading?” By awarding capital punishment and fast track judgment to victims, the judiciary will set an example for others, she added.

The execution process must be sped up to avoid commutation of punishment for such barbaric crimes, she said adding that “in the past decade, more than 1,400 convicts were awarded death penalty in different cases by the respective courts, but only five convicts were actually executed. There are many people under the poverty line who are not educated, not aware of the consequences of such crimes. This is due to the lack of awareness of the seriousness of such crimes. Such people must be given basic education and cognizance of the seriousness of these crimes. Only then, such crimes can be stopped.

The activists were representing parents and families of the minor victims who were raped and later brutally murdered to eliminate traces of the crime. One of the murderers dumped the body of the minor girl he raped in a nearly 33-ft deep spot.