16th December 2012 – Nirbhaya Case
22 Year woman was brutally gang raped by six individuals including one minor on a public bus. She was severely beaten and her body was mutilated in the most savage way that was beyond anyone’s imagination. She fought hard to survive despite her severe injuries. Unfortunately, she passed away on 29th December after 13 days of struggle.
Conviction
– Out of the six, one of the convicts committed suicide when in custody.
– The convicted minor served 3 years in jail and was released on 20th December 2015.
– The four other convicts were hanged on 20th March 2020.Criminal Law Amendment Act 2013
The country was in an uproar when they realized there was no law to punish the Nirbhaya offenders to befit their crimes.
The Amendment came into effect on 2nd April 2013. The following changes were made:
- Stalking, Acid Attacks and Voyeurism added to the definition of rape
- Threat of Rape is considered a crime
- Minimum Sentence for rape was raised to 10 years
- Death/ Vegetative state of victim the minimum sentence is 20 years.
- Character of Victim irrelevant
- The age to be tried as an adult for violent rape was changed from 18 to 16
- Failure to register case by officials is punishable
Major Cases since then
- 2013 Shakti Mills Case
- 2017 Kathua Case
- 2018Unnao Case
Though some of the convicts were given death penalties it was later commuted to life imprisonment.
August 9th, 2024
31 yr old post-graduate doctor was found raped in the seminar hall in the hospital where she worked. An individual was arrested in connection to the crime. However, the autopsy results gave a different picture than what was revealed:
- The quantity of semen found indicates the involvement of more than one person
- She had bleeding eyes and lips, broken pelvic bones, a broken thyroid cartilage due to strangulation, – which were all consistent to a struggle against a vicious attack.
- There seem to be attempts to destroy evidence and the crime scene.
When you first hear about the “Nirbhaya” case the horrendous brutality of the incident left people in shock. I felt more overwhelmed when I heard that she wanted to live. Despite all the torture she went through she was fighting to live. I hated those men for taking that chance from her. I hated them for taking that piece of good from the world. I think she would have been a wonderful human if she had been given the chance.
But maybe, God didn’t want that precious soul to suffer in this world anymore. This world did not deserve her. For her family, there is nothing more left. Those monsters may have legally killed one person but in reality, they killed that whole family. It took great will to fight for their daughter’s justice and according to me, the punishment was too little for the crime that was committed against them. Her parents fought to make the world better, so that no one else goes through the hell valley they had to go through.
Fast forward 12 years later, once again the world is witness to the monstrous nature of humans. The whole case is so horrible, that words fail me. The crime, the cover-up, the lack of rage from the officials investigating the crime. Why does another family have to go through the same road that Nirbhaya’s family had to walk through? I wish there was a way to make the world safer. I wish I could without any doubt say that justice will be served and that the void they feel in their heart will heal at some point.
I want to believe that there is good in the world, I want to believe that there is justice but this world fails you over and over again.
All I can do is pray, for courage and healing for those who got left behind and an eternity of joy for those who crossed over. I want the pain to go away, I want them to only remember the happy memories that they shared. I pray that the justice system does what it was meant to do. I pray that people change. I pray that the evil of this world does not harm another beautiful soul.
Word Hues 