Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied
Credits: Izma Azeem Chughtai
This is a common legal proverb. It implies that if a legal remedy or equal support to victims is not present at the time, then the remedy is inefficient and null. Having no justice on time is considered to be as effective as having no justice at all.
There are hundreds of cases at the same time, and the majority of them get put under the rug due to the extensive court requirements and time out into the case. The case against Bill Cosby is a big example, as it took years for the victim to put a case against her alleged rapist, yet 2 years after conviction the case was nullified under technical legal grounds by the board of Pennsylvania. Bill Cosby is now a free man, but what of the victim? She spent years putting this man behind bars, and now if she wants a case against him, she will have to do it all over again.
The same question is constantly asked when cases like these reappear: Where is justice?
The society we live in is fast and dynamic, thus victims must receive the same response from the courts. How many more people have to suffer years to get justice and be granted the privilege of putting their culprit being bars? However, this is no easy task.
The judicial system is a complex division and caters to many departments within and there is also a prominent need for more legal workers as the cases pile up, but the people in work are less in number.
It is high time people take a look at the judicial system and identify the problem, and make solutions for them. How many more victims need to lose their hope for justice in this country? How many more people are discouraged from reporting the crime to avoid the year-long visits to courts?
Everything requires a proper system and structure, but if many people are not receiving justice and culprits continues to go free-it points towards needing a change and working on the problems rather than letting them slide. Pakistan needs to focus on giving victims justice, regardless of whether they go viral online or not, every citizen deserves justice and it's their right to protect themselves.