Speedy trial in Hanumangarh rape case brings praise for court, police

The Hanumangarh police is being lauded for nabbing the culprit soon after the incident was reported and filing a watertight chargesheet against Singh. Hanumangarh Superintendent of Police Sharat Kaviraj told the Indian Express, “We left no scope for any loopholes right from the beginning. The FIR was registered very carefully so that there were no discrepancies in the complainant’s version and the written complaint. Senior officers were put on the job to go to the scene and investigate the crime in depth. We also managed to nab the culprit in time which helped in collecting strong evidences against him.”

The incident took place on August 26 and the accused was arrested the next day. A detailed chargesheet was filed on August 29 and the trial held on a daily basis concluded on Wednesday with Singh’s conviction. “The entire process took 28 days and this goes to show that if the police and judiciary want they can deliver such speedy trial. But in this case we did seek special attention and asked the court for day to day hearings. This might not be possible in every case but special cases can be handled with such promptness,” Kaviraj said.

Public prosecutor Manjinder Legha said, “It was a clear case of sexual assault. The medical report clearly stated that the girl was violated. Medical tests were done by two separate doctors and their reports corroborated. The chargesheet filed by the police was very strong and left no scope for the accused to go scot free.”

The Bitti Mahanti case in which a German national alleged rape in Alwar, the trial was completed in 21 days and is considered to be the quickest trial in the state so far. The incident was reported on March 21, 2006, the chargesheet filed three days later and the verdict announced on April 12.