The gruesome rape and murder of 26-year old Hyderabad veterinarian has naturally triggered angry sentiments leading to extreme thoughts by politicians and celebs.
Blood is on the boil in our country as more horror stories of rape and violence make it to the headlines. From Priyanka Reddy to Roja to many more- girls are living at a time when anger is at its peak but solutions need to be found to curb and deter such crimes.
Speaking in parliament Jaya Bachchan called for public lynching of perpetrators. Quite understandably her anger was simmering as Priyanka Reddy’s fear and trauma came to the fore. Netizens took to their social media pages to call for all sorts of torture and killing of the rapists.
Speaking to DC, senior advocate Sudha Ramalingam points out the faulty understanding of justice our lawmakers and politicians may have. “Violence cannot be met with violence as an answer. It is against the principles of natural justice and our criminal justice system. It is also against our Constitution. India is a signatory to various human rights conventions and treaties and it cannot transgress them. Everything has to be done following a proper judicial procedure. Knee jerk reactions and call for barbaric punishments are not for civilized countries. They neither do victim justice nor help in prevention of crime or administration of justice,” she asserts.
One of India’s most celebrated terrorism experts and advocate Geeta Madhavan stresses on the significance of the basic concept of rule of law. She says, “No matter how horrific and heinous the crime maybe, for somebody, who is part of law making process in the country, to suggest violation of the rule of law is not acceptable. There is a legal process in the country and if a perpetrator of a crime is found guilty, they can always be punished in the due process of law. Violating the rule of law is dangerous because that leads to total breakdown of society. The statement Jaya Bachchan has made is not something anybody should endorse. I identify with the angst and anger, but for that we cannot suggest violating the rule of law. We cannot have the system being broken because that will tear the very fabric of the society. “
Equal rights activist Harish Iyer points out the problematic mindset of even educated people and the repercussions on the society, in the context of advocacy for harsh public treatment to perpetrators of misdeeds. “Promoting lynching as a culture is one of the most horrific moral crimes. And to validate something like that even as a punishment is equivalent to undervaluing humanity. Moreover, there is enough science to prove that certainty of punishment is a deterrent and not the severity. What the MP has said is reprehensible and goes against the basic tenet of our Constitution and the core principles of reformative justice,” he exclaims. Senior Counsel P. Wilson has demanded courts be empowered to surgically and chemically castrate the convicted rapists.
