While the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the death sentence in the December 16 gangrape case was widely hailed, people in the national Capital, however, said women safety continues to be a matter of concern.
Terming it to be an “exceptional judgement” for an “exceptional case”, Suhil Bhatia, a housewife said, “Awarding them death penalty will of course reinforce people’s faith in judiciary and set a right precedent but as a mother the question of my daughter’s security still bothers me.”
“This is just one case which fortunately drew much attention and garnered mass sympathy and anguish which acted as a pressure on the police and the legal system. But there are so many cases where even chargesheets are not registered,” she added.
Ruchika Sharma, an IT professional and mother of two daughters, said, “Rape is a very vague term in our country. Until the girl is raped and murdered, the law also doesn’t take its course. Stalking, eve-teasing, threatening and other such activities which amount to ‘mental rape’ still don’t make it to the court rooms.”
However, Meenakshi, a resident of Safdarjung Enclave area said, the judgement makes her feel “more protected” now. “I am very happy that she (the victim) finally got justice. As women we also feel that it was justice for us also,” she added.
“The verdict will send out a very strong message to people as now they would know that committing such crimes could entail death penalty. They may even get away initially, but a sense of fear would be instilled in them that they may be caught eventually,” she said.
laxmi, 25, too went emotional after learning about the Supreme Court verdict that said the nature and manner of the crime “devastated social trust”, and fell in the ‘rarest of rare’ category warranting death penalty.
“After 2012 incident, I started being cautious. Sometimes, I would carry pepper spray or even a deodorant, just in case somebody attacked me, but fortunately it never happened,” she said.
“As far as the impact of the judgement is concerned, I don’t think it will change things much, but yes it will act as a deterrent for sure. Also, crime cases in urban areas are highlighted by the media but in tribal areas such incidents rarely come into limelight,” she said.