WOMEN INCREASINGLY 'UNSAFE' FROM THE LAW

March 9, 2004 – (South Asian Citizens Wire) Two sub-inspectors at Tilak Marg PS, Jaipal Sharma and RS Sharma accused in a custodial rape case in New Delhi, have just been acquitted by a sessions court alongwith the employer of the accused, Umesh Pant, on the grounds that there was 'inadequate evidence' of rape. In a case where the victim was in custody while the crime took place, where she is fighting the very establishment that meted violence upon her, and struggled for two years just to get her complaint registered, what did the court expect? Implicating medical evidence? Witnesses? Damning testimonies of colleagues?

The facts is that case after case is making evident that the manner in which rape trials are conducted and evidence is considered needs to be re-examined. Be it custodial rapes like this one, or mass rapes as in Gujarat where women's bodies where butchered and burnt in order to systematically destroy the 'evidence of rape'.

Only then can we hope to stem the tide of the increasing crimes against women Or else the conviction rates in cases of rape and sexual assault shall remain abysmally low, and the guilty will continue to roam free.

Vani Subramanian and Sadhna Arya,
Saheli Women's Resource Centre
Above Shop Nos. 105-108
Under Defence Colony Flyover Market (South Side)
New Delhi 110 024
Phone: +91 (011) 2461 6485
E-mail: saheliwomen@hotmail.com

Via: http://www.sacw.net/