Indian Women With Disabilities Are Often Doubly Discriminated: Madras HC

Observing that Indian women with disabilities are often doubly discriminated, the Madras High Court recently refused to reduce punishment imposed on three people for attempting to rape a woman with speaking and hearing disability.

The court was hearing the criminal appeal filed by the three accused challenging the conviction.

The accused had sexually assaulted the woman when she was grazing goats in 2013. The court took serious note of the fact that the victim was a deaf and dumb lady and that the accused committed the sexual assault while taking advantage of the challenges she faced.

Later, the court agreed with the prosecution's case that if others had not intervened at the right time, the accused would have raped the victim.

'Attitude Of Society Towards Women Has Not Changed'

Justice K Murali Shankar said that despite the imposition of severe punishments, the attitude of society towards women has not changed completely.

"Violence is something she is born with, from womb till grave," he remarked as reported by The New Indian Express.

While two of the three accused men are stated to have cupped the victim's mouth and held her hands, the third accused raised her garments, purportedly in an attempt to rape her.

Two boys, who had accompanied her, tried to stop the accused. After being pushed off, these boys went and informed the victim's father of what was happening. The accused men ran away after the father came to the scene of the crime.

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