Reform Indian Judiciary – Episode 3: Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied

 

Reform Indian Judiciary – Episode 3: Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied

Abhimanyu, a student of Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam, and an SFI activist, died on July 2, 2018, after being brutally attacked by a group of people allegedly associated with Campus Front, the student wing of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). The attack followed an argument over graffiti on the college campus.

The case, involving sixteen accused, has been pending for years. The Kerala High Court has now directed the Principal Sessions Court to complete the trial within four months.

Abhimanyu’s death shook the country. He was remembered through revolutionary songs, flags, posters and public tributes. The political developments and alliances surrounding the CPM and SDPI at different points are part of Kerala’s political history.

But beyond politics lies a more fundamental question: What about justice for Abhimanyu and his family?

The prolonged trial has only deepened the pain of a family that lost its young son. When a murder case takes years to reach a conclusion, it raises serious questions about the effectiveness of our justice-delivery system. In such circumstances, the delay itself can become a form of injustice.

And Abhimanyu’s case is not an isolated one. There are hundreds of murder and other serious criminal cases across the country that remain pending for years.

PEBS asks: Why can’t a murder trial be completed within a year?

Where does the problem lie—in the judiciary, in the laws, in the investigating agencies, in the prosecution system, or in a conservative and inefficient administrative structure?

What prevents us from creating a system in which serious criminal cases are investigated efficiently, tried expeditiously, and brought to a final conclusion within a reasonable, legally defined period?

How will this change? Who will bring about this change?

Justice delayed is not merely a procedural failure. For the victim’s family, it is a continuing wound.

PEBS calls for fundamental reforms in the Indian justice-delivery system so that no family has to wait endlessly for justice.

#ReformIndianJudiciary #JusticeDelayedIsJusticeDenied #JusticeForAbhimanyu #JudicialReforms #PEBS