Justice for Nirbhaya 5 Years After Death? India Looks forward to the Supreme Court’s Judgment Today

Its 5 years since Nirbhaya’s death but the 2012 Delhi gang rape continues to horrify us even today. The trauma of every rape victim is a constant reminder of an unjust, biased society that has failed to protect a person’s respect. Despite methodized candle-light marches and intense outrage on social networks, it’s really embarrassing that the culprits don’t show any signs of remorse on their faces.

The Infamous Nirbhaya Gang Rape Incident Put India to Shame in 2012…

The innocent 23-year-old physiotherapy intern ‘Nirbhaya’ aka Jyoti Singh was gang raped, tortured and brutally assaulted in her private parts with a rod with her friend Awindra Pratap Pandey in a private mini-bus on 16th December 2012. She succumbed to her injuries and died 17 days later on 29th December. 5 years since her death, the Supreme Court will seal the fate of her culprits today afternoon. The apex court’s Judges Mr. R Banumathi and Mr. Dipak Misra are expected to deliver their final verdicts on the petitions of four convicts in Nirbhaya case, who’ve challenged their death penalty granted by the lower courts.

Public protests against 2012 Delhi gang rape are held every year.
Public protests against 2012 Delhi gang rape are held every year.

The heinous crime was committed by six men, namely Ram Singh (The deceased bus driver), Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta and Mohammad Afroz aka Raju (juvenile). As expected, the offenders denied all charges until their involvement was finally confirmed by DNA test reports. The trial court sentenced the guilty to 10 years imprisonment in 2013. The judges granted them capital punishment the very same year. The high court confirmed this sentence, but the offenders challenged its verdict in the Supreme Court.

This is What Happened with the Culprits of Nirbhaya Case…

In 2015, the police found that four of them (mainly Akshay, Mukesh, Pawan and Vinay) were involved in an age-old case of robbery, as well. The five adult offenders were beaten up by their in-mates at Tihad jail initially. In March 2013, Culprit Ram Singh committed suicide. Even Vinay Sharma tried committing suicide in 2014.

The sixth convict ‘Raju’ who was just short of 18 when he committed the crime was sent to correction home under India’s Juvenile law. In December 2015, when he walked out of the correction home, his exit sparked public outrage. As a result, a new law was formed that treated all juveniles between 16 and 18 years as criminals, if they’re involved in atrocious crimes.

What Do We Expect from the Supreme Court?

The country demands capital punishment for Nirbhaya rape convicts.
The country demands capital punishment for Nirbhaya rape convicts.
  • The parents of the victim expressed trust in Indian judiciary. They’re confident that the SC will award death sentence to the guilty.
  • Social media users have launched massive protests against India’s apathy towards crimes against women. The entire country looks forward to the SC’s verdict.

Capital Punishment in this Case will Send a Strong Message for Criminals in Future…

When BBC interviewed Convict Mukesh Singh in 2015, he shamelessly blamed the victim for the act. According to him, the girl had received fatal blows because she tried to fight back. Had she silently endured her fate and allowed the rape, she would’ve been alive today, he said. Further, he spoke ill about women and held them responsible for rapes. The convict felt that decent women don’t roam around with their boyfriends late at night. A woman is responsible for housekeeping and she should remain within the confines of their home.

Things worsened when his lawyer AP Singh was caught on camera saying that had her sister or daughter been involved in love relationships and pre-marital activities, he would’ve set them alight before the family. Such statements coming from chauvinists in modern-day society are not just foolish, but downright shameful and undignified. To check this mentality from spreading further, it’s essential for the court to punish the offenders. It’ll discourage them from committing crimes in future.

Rape figures in India are shameful and highlight the weakness of Indian society.
Rape figures in India are shameful and highlight the weakness of Indian society.
Even the minors undergo molestation and sexual exploitation.
Even the minors undergo molestation and sexual exploitation.
34,651 women were raped in 2015.
34,651 women were raped in 2015.

It’s Not Just the Courts, but the Entire Society Needs to Come Together to Prevent Crimes against Both the Sexes…

Reforming quaint laws, delivering justice in pending cases, speeding up trials and counseling people are prime necessities of the hour. Other than punishing the offenders, it’s essential that we morally guide the younger generations for ethical character development. All organizations including schools, government bodies, religious cults, workplaces, the media and social networks have to come together to prevent crime against all beings (not just women) to build a happy, harmonious, just and equal nation in true sense. This is how India will develop as a progressive, crime-free country.

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