A one-day court hearing and acquittal by evening of all accused in a dowry death case has led the Supreme Court to say that speedy or rather “trial in a hurry” does not always mean justice to the wronged.
A 20-page judgment written by Justice M.Y. Eqbal held that speed should not be at the cost of the court abandoning the search for truth.
The verdict comes at a time when a debate is raging about the huge backlog of cases in subordinate courts and the need to fast-track trial proceedings.
The case deals with the suicide of Renukaben Maheshbhai Patel from Mehsana district in Gujarat, married for two years and mother of an infant girl. In her dying declaration, she recounted her in-laws’ harassment. They were subsequently charged with abetment of her suicide and dowry death.
The initial trial lasted a total of nine days in the sessions court. The entire examination and cross-examination of witnesses in court was completed in a day.
