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Almost 6 years after Jyoti Singh's murder sparked off public outrage, her killers will face execution, affirmed the Supreme Court today. Yet, is this justice enough?
Almost 6 years after Jyoti Singh’s murder sparked off public outrage, her killers will face execution, affirmed the Supreme Court today. Yet, is this justice enough?
It was a cold night in December 2012, when a young woman was brutally raped and killed by six men. It was not the first time such a gruesome crime had been committed and sadly, it was not the last either.
However, this case that came to be known as the ‘Nirbhaya case’ jarred the consciousness of the entire nation. We realised that enough was enough and it was about time we fought back.
It was due to the media spotlight and the collective outcry of women across our country that the case got the attention it deserved. Jyoti Singh, who came to be called Nirbhaya, survived long enough to tell the horrific tale of her attack and identify her killers before she lost her battle for life. The case was put on fast track and the court delivered a death sentence to the convicts, declaring it one of the ‘rarest of rare’ cases where the viciousness of the crime was shocking.
This should have been the end of this story, but the convicts then filed a review petition with the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court dismissed this petition and upheld the Death Sentence of the convicts. Though this action of the court restores our faith in the legal system, nonetheless, hasn’t justice been delayed in this case? After all, it is now close to six years after the event.
This case was supposed to set a precedent for all sexual crime cases where no mercy would be shown to the perpetrators of such crimes. Yet, one of the convicts managed to escape the legal system since he was a ‘juvenile’. Nirbhaya’s statement was that he was the most violent and dangerous of the attackers, but he is now free and out on the streets. The other four are managing to prolong the legal battle by using the many loopholes that our system offers.
In this case, there was no chance of mistaken identity as the victim herself as well as the eyewitness to the crime had positively identified the killers. There was evidence collected and proper investigation done, leading to their arrest and final sentencing. In such cases, I believe that the opportunity to file a review petition or appeal to President should be removed. The sentence should be swift and execution should be done quickly. If the escape routes for criminals are closed then the crime rate would fall drastically.
It is about time that Nirbhaya’s parents and all of us who are her supporters were given closure. She lost her life and her death sparked a fire in all of us. An innocent woman was raped, tortured and killed – only because six men took fancy to her. They had no fear that they would be caught, or punished for the heinous crime they were committing, let alone that they would be hanged for the murder they were planning – giving them the impetus to commit this ghastly act.
If today we do not change our legal system to strike fear in the hearts of potential criminals, we may lose many more daughters of the nation.
In one of the interviews, Jyoti Singh’s father said – “But what next? So much time has gone by and the threat to women have gone up in this span.”
It’s scary and true that nothing has changed for women; if anything, the situation seems to be worsening. At least, let’s not delay justice anymore for Nirbhaya anymore. Let’s execute these executions so that she can finally rest in peace.
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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