Kerala high court seeks woman judge in actor assault

KOCHI: The High Court on Thursday directed the registrar to find out the availability of women judges in Ernakulam and Thrissur districts for the trial of the case connected with the abduction and sexual assault of a woman actor. The case in which actor Dileep is one of the prime accused was posted for further hearing on next Thursday. 

The woman actor has approached the HC after the Ernakulam principal sessions court rejected her petition in June last year. She petitioned the High Court citing verdicts of the higher courts for appointing women judges in mass rape cases for facilitating the victims to depose before the court with an open mind. She submitted that the ordeal suffered by her on the fateful day could be described only before a woman judge. 

Dileep, facing charges of hiring a gang to commit the crime, has been availing of all possible legal options to delay the commencement of the trial. He has demanded the copies of the visuals of the attack, which he said were doctored. The petition is now before the Supreme Court.

The High Court observed that the state does not have enough courts to handle the cases connected with violence against women and children. This is a serious situation as the victim of the violence has to appear in the court before the accused. In other states, the victims of sexual assault have special facility to depose before the court. The situation here is pathetic, the court observed.    

It also said that the victims were not in a position to depose before the court without any fear. It also commented that there was a sharp increase in the cases of violence against women and children in the state in the past six months.