Special courts to speed up justice delivery: CM

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday said his government will set up special courts in the State to speed up the justice delivery mechanism and increase the conviction rate. He alleged that the previous BJD government lacked the willpower to punish criminals, due to which the conviction rates remained low in the State.

“The BJP government will set up special courts and increase the conviction rate through speedy justice delivery,” Majhi said. The conviction rate is low in Odisha in the crimes against women and girl children, he pointed out, while attending a programme on sensitisation of the public on Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita here.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Odisha has a 9.3 per cent conviction rate in crimes against women and it is the lowest compared to other States. “The mindset of a government plays a crucial role in the establishment of the law. The BJD government lacked the willpower to punish the criminals for which the conviction rate is low in the State,” the Chief Minister said. Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan, who also attended the event, asserted establishment of special courts will play a significant role in providing justice at the doorstep of people. Harichandan said the government has already approved establishment of six new ‘Gram Nyayalayas (rural courts)’ that will serve as mediation and will go a long way in reducing the load on the judicial system. This apart, the minister said, a Law Commission will be formed soon and all the unwanted laws of the State will also be discarded.

The Chief Minister and the Law Minister also explained to the audience various aspects of Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita which came into effect on July 1. They replaced the British-era Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Penal Code, respectively.