The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Friday sought the intervention of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Altamas Kabir in initiating strong action against those involved in the rape of a physiotherapy student in a moving bus and to direct the police to tackle crime against women in the capital.
A group of lawyers, led by SCBA secretary Pareena Swarup, submitted a memorandum at the CJI’s office and staged a demonstration on the lawns of the Supreme Court, condemning the “complete indifference” on the part of the police in tackling the crime-rate in the capital. They said no leniency should be shown to the accused involved in heinous crimes.
“The reported rape cases alone are over 600 in Delhi,” said the memorandum. “Plenty of undetected and unreported cases of rape should be there. Delhi has become the crime-capital. Ladies cannot walk on the roads after 7 p.m. because of the menace of certain anti-social elements and psychopaths indulging in grave crimes. According to official statistics, even amongst culprits who are caught, over 80 per cent escape because of want of eyewitnesses and humiliation caused to the victim of rape in allowing nasty cross-examination. We, the Bar members, unanimously demand the following: Section 376 of IPC has to be amended to award harshest punishment possible.
