Protests justified, wish I was there, my nephew was beaten up: CJI

Maintaining that the "public upsurge" against the Delhi gangrape incident was "justified", Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir Monday said, "I wish I could also have been there, but I can't." He said his nephew was also "beaten up" during the protest at India Gate which was "hijacked" later.

"What happened that day is not new, it has been happening, but it caught the imagination of the people and it was totally justified," Justice Kabir said. "I have said this before that the public upsurge was justified but we cannot afford to let groups of people exploit such situations. Many people came because they had their own ends to achieve. That, to my mind, was a retrograde step."

Speaking on the sidelines of the Sixth National Conference on the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence, he said: "I salute everybody who took part (in the protests). I wish I could also have been there, but I can't... My nephew was also beaten up in the protest." He said it started out as a "peaceful protest" but "became ugly" later.

He told the gathering that after the gangrape incident, he spoke to the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court on ways to restore the confidence of people, especially women, and "the idea of immediately setting up fast track courts came up". He said judges need to be sensitive in dealing with cases concerning women, children and disabled people. "Without sensitivity, there is no point being a judge." — With PTI

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