Rape Incidents: Govt to write to HC for fast-track court

Vijayawada: Asserting that the state government has been giving top priority for safety of women and children, home minister Vangalapudi Anitha said the government will write to the High Court for setting up a fast-track court to hear two recent sensational rape cases in the state.

Speaking to media at the Secretariat on Tuesday, the minister said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu took this decision to ensure that the accused persons in the incidents of rape occurred in Sri Sathya Sai and Bapatla districts were punished as soon as possible.

On October 12, a gang of five thieves including three minors, raped a woman and her daughter-in-law in Chilamathur mandal of Sri Sathyasai district. In a previous incident, 21-year-old woman was raped and murdered at Epurupalem village in Bapatla district, in June.

Anitha said these two cases will be handed over to the fast-track court and it will send a message that culprits cannot escape punishment through long-drawn court cases and easily procured bails.

“To ensure that the accused persons are punished, the CM has taken a decision. The government will write to the High Court for a fast-track court. This fast-track court is for this (Sri Sathyasai district) case and another case from Bapatla where a woman was raped and murdered,” she said.

Police nabbed five people accused in the Sri Sathyasai district case using technology and by chasing them for about 200 km in 48 hours, the home minister said. They were all remanded and one of them had 32 cases, including those of rape and theft, booked against him.

Exhorting officials to use CCTV surveillance cameras as much as possible, she called upon people and entities to sync their CCTV footage with that of police network to help harvest actionable intelligence.

“That’s why we are appealing to the public to sync their CCTV camera surveillance fixed at their homes and businesses with police, then we will definitely integrate it to a nearby command control room and take responsibility to ensure that no such issues (crime) occur,” said Anitha. Naidu wanted officials to use drones to step up surveillance wherever CCTV was not available and he called upon to people to use their mobile phones extensively to record evidences of crimes, the minister noted.

Further, she said that the government will intensify CCTV surveillance by installing more cameras at places like government offices, women’s hostels etc to make sure that no criminal can escape after committing a crime.

Director general of police Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao and law and order IG Srikanth were present.