India’s daughter

A verdict has finally arrived. But justice hasn’t.

As the Nirbhaya case finally draws to a conclusion, there is elation among those who eagerly awaited this. It’s been 5 years of hard endured patience to award punishment to the guilty. Thousands of articles would have covered this topic, here’s another one:

The judgment was fair. The same can’t be said of the way in which it was delivered. The parents of the girl have been put through the rigors of time, energy and patience. They had to wait for 5 years even though justice was on their side. On the other side of the spectrum, we find corrupt politicians getting their bail, hours after they’re imprisoned.

Here is a less commonly known fact-The bus which the driver rode wasn’t allowed to ferry public passengers.Next, the rapists had met on the same day and had already robbed a carpenter, who was brutally beaten up. The carpenter later complained to three constables, who dismissed his pleas as it was out of their geographical scope of concern. I don’t know how geography can hinder your duty.

 

Then, we have the crooked laws in our country. Firstly, it took 5 years to punish these rapists despite it being crystal clear that they had committed the offense. India has always been a bit harsh on women. We’ve seen it in movies, where a desperate guy rapes the girl he likes, in order to marry her, believing that  she and her family would have no other choice, otherwise their name would be stained in the society. India has always been conservative with girls. The rape laws are a perfect testament to the above.

Revealing the victim’s name is forbidden by law according to our Constitution. What wrong did she do that her once proud parents now hesitate to tell her name in public, ever again? Their plight is unimaginably depressing.And all this resulted due to some petty argument between the rapists and the man who was accompanying her.

The reaction to this incident was humongous. It was a turning point for Indian women as far as their safety was concerned.Youngsters protested all over the country for her cause. It sparked a sense of caution and awareness all over the country. But, out of the thousands of rape cases each year, only one case has grabbed attention and come to the fore. What about the remaining? Sadly, nothing has happened.

I reaffirm my stance that the decision was a bold one, but let us not blind ourselves. For the verdict of one case, is hiding thousands of others which haven’t got their fair share of justice. As I remarked earlier, a verdict has been arrived at. But justice hasn’t, yet.

 

Written by Sharadha Prasad, First year, Electronics and Communication.