india

Updated: Jul 12, 2019 23:45 IST

Alarmed at the increasing number of child rape cases in the country -- 24,212 FIRs were filed between January 1 and June 30 in this context according to data collated by the Supreme Court -- and concerned at the speed of disposal -- only 911 have been dealt with -- the apex court appointed a senior advocate to assist judges to formulate guidelines for speedy investigation and disposal of such cases.

A bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it was taking cognizance of various reports on news portals on the rising incidents of child rape. The bench, also comprising justices Deepak Gupta and Anirudh Bose, said the directions would ensure a “concerted” and “clear” national response against such acts.

The court asked senior advocate VV Giri to provide his assistance in the matter. CJI Gogoi said that only Giri and the Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, nobody would be allowed to intervene in the matter. The court posted the matter for further hearing on Monday.

The bench registered a suo motu cognizance case on the basis of the data it collated through its registry with the aid of various high courts. Of the 24,212 FIRs 11,981 cases are still under investigation by the police and final reports have been filed in 12,231 cases.

The CJI read out the data and said that trials have commenced in 6,449 cases only, meaning trial is yet to commence in 4,871 cases. The court’s data also showed that 17 states and Union Territories are yet to dispose of any case. Uttar Pradesh, with 3457 FIRs (the highest among states), has only disposed 22 cases.

The CJI indicated that the guidelines may include video-recording of the proceedings and of testimonies.