Chandigarh, October 18
The disposal of cases of heinous crimes against women such as rape and dowry deaths in the courts of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh has come under the scanner of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

In a directive to the district and sessions judges of the two states and Union Territory, the high court asked them to ensure expeditious disposal of the trial of heinous crimes against women under sections 376 (rape) and 304-B (dowry death) of the Indian Penal Code.

The Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has also asked District and Sessions Judges to send a monthly progress report of such cases by the 10th of every month, a Haryana Government spokesman said here today.

With egg on its face following the spurt in crime cases, especially incidents of rape, the Haryana Government had on October 4 unveiled a multi-pronged strategy to tackle crime against women. Fast-tracking and monitoring of all cases of heinous crimes against women under trial in various courts in Haryana were the measures requested by the Haryana Government to the high court.

Acting on Haryana’s request, the high court went a step further and brought Punjab and Chandigarh under the purview of fast-tracking of cases of crime against women.

The Haryana Government has already constituted a three-member monitoring committee at the district level to investigate and monitor cases of crime against women and ensure speedy trial. The committees, comprising the District Magistrate, Superintendent of Police and the District Attorney, will monitor such cases fortnightly, which will go a long way in speeding up the disposal of crime cases against women.