VIJAY SINGHAL Vs. GOVT. OF NCT OF DELHI

JUDGEMENT

(1.) 16 December, 2012 once again heightened the sense of insecurity which women of this city and perhaps in most parts of this country carry in their sub conscious mind. A young lady was raped and mauled in a moving bus and left to die on the street, without a stitch of cloth on herself. Her companion was brutalized and beaten when, he attempted to intervene.

(2.) THE news of this heinous and dastardly act spread like wild fire. There was revulsion and disgust at the sheer bestiality of the act.

(3.) THERE were impassioned debates on these and various other aspects, connected with crime against women in the print and electronic media. The social media was not far behind. Views were expressed by all and Sundry, from the experts to lay people. Views ranged from opinions on what should have been done, to what ought to have been done. An already complex debate went into a free fall when it was discovered that one of the accused may be a juvenile. 4.1. Fortunately, the accused were caught in quick time. A Commission of Enquiry was set up with an eminent jurist Chief Justice J.S. Verma (Retd.) at its head followed by another Commission headed by Ms.Usha Mehra, a retired Judge of this Court. Since then the J.S. Verma Committee has submitted its recommendations to the Government of India, as a consequence of which an ordinance has been passed. The Government of India is mulling over a draft Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill of 2013. This Court also lent its shoulder to the issue, by setting up Fast -track Courts to deal with cases of sexual offences against women.