Chandigarh: Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal today gave a clarion call to fast track the judicial process to ensure speedy and exemplary punishment for heinous crimes against women.

In a statement here, the Bathinda MP said while civil society had played a big role in ensuring expeditious justice for “Nirbhaya”- the Delhi gang rape victim, the need of the hour was to instill fear amongst perpetrators of crimes against women. “This will happen if there is zero tolerance on this front and civil society is assured that all such crimes against women will not only be handled sensitively but also handled firmly and that equally stringent punishment will be handed out to the perpetrators”.

The Bathinda MP said even though justice had been delivered in the Nirbhaya case, it was also a fact that there were around 1.7 lakh pending cases against women in the country. “The sentence in the Nirbhaya case happened due to public pressure but another 1.7 lakh women are waiting for justice”, she said adding “all such cases must be fast tracked immediately”.

Ms Badal said as far as the Punjab government was concerned, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had moved a proposal to establish 20 fast track courts for speedy trials into cases of sexual assaults against women in February last year. “This was subsequently also approved by the State cabinet”, she said adding go ahead was also given for creating 20 additional posts of Superior Judicial Services along with supporting staff.

Beside this, the Bathinda mp said Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also looked after the Home portfolio, had approved a special drive to recruit women for six posts of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSPs), 36 Inspectors, 415 Sub-inspectors and 400 Constables in the State Police. “These women police would be deployed on exclusive duties to control crime against women”, she added.