The family of a woman gangraped and murdered in 2012 has said it would appeal the Supreme Court's decision to acquit the three men convicted in the case.
In 2012, a mutilated body of a 19-year-old woman was found. She was subsequently found to have been abducted, gangraped, and murdered. It came to be known as the 2012 Chhawla gang grape case. Three men were convicted and sentenced to death in the case by the trial court. The Delhi High Court upheld the trial court's verdict.
The Supreme Court on Monday acquitted the three men covicted and sentenced in the case.
The victim's father expressed disappointment over the SC verdict and said, "We will appeal against the Supreme Court's verdict, which has allowed the acquittal of the three accused. We are in the process of finalising it and will file an appeal soon to reconsider the verdict."
The family wants death penalty for all the accused.
"We want death penalty for all three accused...All the culprits should be hanged...Only then will my daughter get justice," he told PTI.
In its order, the Supreme Court bench including the then-Chief Justice of India UU Lalit noted the prosecution failed to provide leading, cogent, clinching and clear evidence, including those related to DNA profiling and call detail records, against the accused.
In 2014, a trial court termed the case "rarest of rare" and awarded death penalty to the three accused.
"Even after 11 years, this is the verdict. We have lost it...We lost the battle...I was living with this hope...I have lost my will to live. I thought my daughter would get justice," the victim's mother said, breaking into tears outside the Supreme Court premises.
The victim's father said, "What was supposed to happen with criminals ultimately happened with us. It has been 11 years of running from pillar to post. The lower court announced its verdict and we were relieved. From the high court also we were given assurance. But the Supreme Court let us down. What was supposed to happen with the criminals ultimately happened with us.
"The law and order system in our country is not for poor people. If this had happened with a rich influential person or a politician, would they also have faced the same fate? It is like taking advantage of poverty."
According to the prosecution, the woman victim worked in Gurugram's Cyber City area and belonged to Uttarakhand. She was returning from her workplace and was near her home when the three men abducted her in a car.
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal commented on the case and questioned whether such verdicts would not raise confidence of criminals.
She said in a tweet in Hindi, "This is the case in which acid was poured into the eyes of the girl and bottle was inserted into her private part. Would it not raise the confidence of rapists?"
Following the SC order, the DCW has taken suo motto cognizance for the welfare of the woman victim's family, according to a report.
ANI reported, "DCW takes suo moto cognizance for the welfare of the family of the deceased 19-yr-old girl; writes to Delhi DCP HQ seeking information regarding security to family of the deceased, details of other steps taken to ensure their safety and action taken report."
(With PTI inputs)
