Justice Defeated..!
When a victim climbs the steps of a court as a last hope for justice and that very court delivers injustice one is left asking whom does this system really serve? The recent judgment of the Delhi High Court granting release to former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao minor rape case has shaken the very faith people had in the system. This cannot be seen merely as the release of one accused. It was the moment that extinguished the last breath left in the victim’s heart. For a family that has been fighting for eight years swallowing insults and humiliation, enduring attacks and oppression the real punishment has been delivered only now. This is heartbreaking. Though the entire nation responded to her cries, the black-coated fortress within four walls remained unmoved. A court that dismissed the case citing lack of evidence failed to examine why that evidence had been silenced in the first place. Rather than calling this a failure of justice, perhaps it is more apt to call it the misfortune of a system that bows to power.
When the Unnao incident in Uttar Pradesh came to light in 2017, it was clear that this was no ordinary case. From the moment she took to the streets pleading, ‘I want justice’, the assault by the ‘Power Structure’ began. The accused was a ruling party MLA, a leader wielding caste and political influence. He abducted her, illegally confined her for days and sexually assaulted her. He even tried to sell her and did not hesitate to attempt to kill her. Somehow escaping captivity, the victim approached the police but they ignored her. Instead, she faced threats, pressure, and instructions to ‘remain silent’. From the very first stage, the state machinery stood with the criminal. Worse, it joined hands with the accused and pressured her to compromise. It took a full year just to register