Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that speedy court verdicts are needed to ensure justice in cases of crimes against women.

“The faster the decisions are taken in cases of atrocities against women, the more assured half of the population will feel about their safety,” the prime minister said at a national conference of the district judiciary in New Delhi.

His remarks came in the backdrop of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The 31-year-old trainee doctor was found dead at the medical institute on August 9. The incident sparked protests across the country.

“Atrocities against women and the safety of children are a matter of grave concern for society,” Modi said on Saturday. “Many strict laws have been implemented in the country for the safety of women.”

The prime minister noted that the Centre had in 2019 introduced a scheme to set up fast-track special courts.

Since October 2019, the Department of Justice has been implementing a scheme sponsored by the Centre to set up fast-track special courts, including courts to handle cases under the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

Modi said on Saturday that district monitoring committees can play an important role in ensuring coordination among the various arms of the criminal justice system. “We must make these committees more active,” he said.

Modi’s remarks at the national conference on Saturday came two days after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to him seeking “stringent central legislation” with “exemplary punishment” for rape.

In response, the Centre on Friday told Banerjee that the existing laws were comprehensive and stringent enough to tackle crimes against women and urged her state government to enforce it in “letter and spirit”.