Fast-track courts soon to try rape cases: CM

Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar on Thursday said that the state Cabinet would soon consider establishment of fast-track courts to try rape cases.

He said the government had already consulted the law department and was hopeful the courts would be a reality soon. He was speaking at the annual state senior police officials summit 2013 at the Director General of Police’s office here.

He said merely setting up helplines would not curb violence against women. The police need to take pro-active steps to make them functional in a meaningful way. He said that the government would also look into inducting more women in the police force.

He said in almost 80 pc of crimes, the accused get acquitted for want of evidence. This must change, he said and added the police should take measures for witness protection too. The chief minister also said that the government is thinking of upgrading the police of Gulbarga and Belgaum to commissionerates. Traffic management is another area which the traffic police must seriously look into in the burgeoning tier-two cities across the state.

Home Minister R Ashoka said, “Every year we face a shortage of 16,000-20,000 policemen. We can’t deploy fresh recruits without training, which lasts nine months. By the time they are ready, fresh shortage arises. We have to again put up a proposal to the Finance Department, which further delays the process. So I request the chief minister to grant permission to the Home Department for direct recruitment.”

Referring to the high rates of missing girls, he said the police did not have the practise of recording girls who were lost and later found. Hence, every year about 20,000 girls were shown as missing in records, he said and cautioned the police to maintain proper records of such cases. On poor treatment of the lower rung constables, he said the administration department must gear up to ensure the welfare of the lower rank officers and ensure that allocated funds are effectively utilised before they lapse at the end of the financial year.