'Lost Faith In Judiciary': Chhawla Rape Victim's Family Feels 'Betrayed' After SC Acquits All Convicts

The three men, who were given the punishment of death by a local court for gang rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman at Chhawla, Delhi, in 2012, have been set free by the Supreme Court. The wait for justice has ended with despair for the rape victim's family.

All three men- Rahul, Vinod, and Ravi Kumar, were accused of raping, abducting, and brutally killing a teenage woman on February 9, 2012, in Chhawla. According to reports, the 19-year-old was abducted while returning home from her workplace in Gurgaon's Cyber City.

Death Penalty From Session & Delhi High Court

The accused came in a car and pulled her in near her home. When her parents found she didn't return home, they lodged a missing person report at a local police station. Days later, her body was found in Reqari village of Haryana with severe burn and injury marks.

An autopsy report reveals that she was attacked with glass bottles, car tools, and sharp objects. The police team arrested all three accused, who used to live in a rented flat in Palam. Reportedly, the three men attacked her after she refused Ravi's request to become his friend.

A session court in February 2014 gave the penalty of death to the three men accused in the gang rape and murder case. The matter was then shifted to Delhi High Court in August 2014, confirming the death penalty for all accused. Years after, the SC reversed the decision and set the accused free, citing glaring lapses in the investigation and trial of the case.

Victim's Family Feels Betrayed, Cheated

The SC's decision to acquit all three men, sentenced to death by the trial court and Delhi High Court, drew a sharp reaction from the victim's family. The mother of the 19-year-old mentioned that she waited for 11 years for justice. "We have lost. Now, I feel I have no reason to live. I thought my daughter would get justice," she added.

She also highlighted that her family feels wronged, betrayed, and cheated as they had a hope that the accused would be hanged. The victim's father, who's still making sense of the judgment, said, "This all happened because we don't have money. We are poor, and that's why we are suffering," The Indian Express.

He added, "The courts don't care. We have been betrayed. I have not been able to work since the incident. I remember going with the police to see my daughter's body. I couldn't sleep for days. How can they be released?"

According to reports, the lawyer of the victim's family will file a review petition in the apex court after carefully going through the order given by a bench of SC, comprising Chief Justice of India UU Lalit and Justices SR Bhat and Bela M Trivedi.

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