Shillong: Impressed with Meghalaya’s equal representation of women in various sectors, Union Minister of State for Law & Justice Prof. S P Singh Baghel said it was nice to see the number of women judges is more than their male counterparts in the lower court.
Baghel, who is on a two-day visit to the state, had an interactive session with the Meghalaya State Legal Authority (MSLA).
Speaking with the media, the Lok Sabha MP from Agra on Wednesday said there are a total of 32 women judges and 22 male judges in the state.
“I am so happy to see in Meghalaya, in the lower judiciary it has more number of women judges. Without reservation also women have overshadowed the men, so if we had to give reservation, we would be in trouble,” the MP joked.
Baghel stressed on the need for Meghalaya to have a well-equipped forensic science laboratory to further improve the conviction rate in the state.
Emphasising that the police department needs well-equipped facilities for DNA test, narco test and other tests, he said if these tests can be done in the state then the conviction rate would improve.
The statement of the the Union minister assumes significance as till date, many of the FSL samples in criminal cases are sent outside for test and it takes months for the reports to come, thereby delaying the entire investigation.
When asked about the large number of POCSO cases in Meghalaya, he said there are different factors which lead to delay in conviction of such cases, saying the complainant and even the witnesses need to be active during the trial of such cases.
The Union minister also held a meeting with the bar council of the High Court and discussed several issues.
Also read: Mizoram: 3 years on, netizens revive ‘Justice for Zothansanga’ petition