Can’t Have Constant Delays: Vice President Counters CJI Bobde’s ‘Can’t Give Instant Justice’ Remark

Amid the controversy over the alleged extra judicial killings of four rape suspects in Hyderabad, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said that justice can’t be delayed constantly. The Vice President was referring to Chief Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde’s remark that "justice can never be given instantly".

"I saw a statement by Chief Justice of India, very aptly he said 'you can't give instant justice'. But at the same time you can't have constant delays. It's an area of concern for all of us and everyone should see to it that their duties are well performed," Naidu said.

Addressing an event during the inauguration of the new building of Rajasthan High Court in Jodhpur, CJI Bobde had said justice can never be instant. "I don’t think justice can ever be and ought to be instant," he further said.

The comments of the Chief Justice came amid the criticism of judiciary over poor records in terms of delivering justice in cases of crime against women. The remark also came against the backdrop of alleged extra judicial killings of four suspects in the rape and murder case of a veterinarian in Hyderabad.

Also Read | Preserve Bodies Of Hyderabad Gang-Rape Suspects Till December 9: Telangana High Court

On Friday morning, the four suspects were shot dead while in police custody. According to the police, the four men were taken to the crime scene as part of the investigation. The police claimed that the accused persons attacked them with sticks, snatched their weapons and opened fire. All of them were shot dead in the “cross firing,” the police said.

Following their encounter, questions were raised on the police theory with several activists alleging “extra judicial” killings. The police, however, said that they acted in self-defence. The Telangana High Court directed the state government to preserve bodies of the four suspects in Hyderabad veterinarian rape and murder case, who were shot dead in police custody.

The high court also ordered to conduct the post-mortem on camera and video of the procedure be handed over to the Principal District Judge, Mahabubnagar in form of Compact Disc and pen-drive. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also took cognisance of the encounter killings of the four accused in the case and ordered a probe.