Make Haste Slowly
The horrifying incident of the rape and death of eight year old Asifa in Kathua (J&K) shocked the conscience of the country, when the police first found her body near a forest on 17 January this year. Keeping in mind the fairness of the trial, the case was transferred from Kathua to the district and sessions court in Pathankot by the Supreme Court on 7 May. The apex court further ordered that the case be heard on a day to day basis without causing any delay. Let us examine the status of the case so far. It has been 6 months and Asifa’s case is currently pending with the sessions judge in Pathankot. As per the information provided on the e-courts website, the case was formally registered on 30 May and first heard on the same day. The case is being listed on a day to day basis with an average of 2 days between each of the hearings. Since the transfer of the case to the Pathankot sessions court, 112 hearings have been conducted in the case. Nearly 94% of those hearings relate to...