Kolkata rape-murder has brought back focus on 2012 Nirbhaya Laws. What happened to the guilty?

On the cold night of 16 December 2012, a 23-year-old woman was brutally raped and assaulted in a moving bus in South Delhi. The 23-year-old, identified as Jyoti Singh, a physiotherapy intern was gang raped, tortured, and beaten by six men in a moving bus in Munirka area.

The Dark Story of 16 December 2012

Jyoti Singh was travelling home with her friend Awindra Pratap Pandey after watching a movie on the night of December 16, 2012. They boarded an off-duty bus from the Munirka bus stand, in which there were six other men as well. The men shut all the doors of the bus, and the driver started driving off the route. Awindra Pratap found something suspicious and on objection, he was shouted down, and a fight broke out as the other drunk men started molesting the woman. They knocked down her friend with a rod. She was dragged to the back of the bus, where thehorrific incident occurred. The driver drove the bus all over Delhi while this incident was happening.

After the attack, both of them were thrown out of the bus and left to die at the roadside. The two were found half dead, and as soon as Delhi Police were informed, they were taken to Safdarjung Hospital, where doctors said that she was left with only five per cent intestines in her body. The woman succumbed to her injuries on 29 December 2012.

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Why was the case called the Nirbhaya Case?

The rape laws in India do not allow the use of the victim’s name in the media. Therefore, she was given different names, and Nirbhaya, meaning fearless, was widely used. Before succumbing to her injuries, she gave a statement in which she demanded justice against the six attackers. This incident led to widespread agitation all around the country. Protests broke out with a demand to change the laws about violence against women.

What happened to the guilty?

All of the suspects, including the juvenile attacker, were convicted by the court. The six men were identified as Mukesh Singh, Akshay Thakur, Ram Singh, Vinay Gupta, Pawan Gupta, and a juvenile. The bus driver, Ram Singh, committed suicide in the Tihar Jail during trial. The minor was tried separately and was sentenced to a maximum imprisonment of three years in the reform facility. The trial court announced capital punishment to Vinay, Pawan, Mukesh, and Akshay in September 2013.

The rape and murder of a female doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata has brought back all the dark and horrific memories of the Nirbhaya Case.

The mother of Nirbhaya, Asha Devi, spoke to the media expressing her outrage and grief over the incident. She said that it is the most unfortunate thing that has happened and also criticised the political parties' blame game. She also urged to shift the focus towards the safety and legal reforms for women.

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Has anything changed after the Nirbhaya Case?

The night of 16 December 2012 was one of the darkest nights for the country, but because of that incident several changes were seen in the legal system of India, such as:

The Criminal Law Amendment Act of 2023, also known as the Anti-rape Act, made some substantial changes in the legal landscape.

There was a pivotal shift observed regarding the victim’s character, considering it irrelevant to the case and ensuring that it does not influence the punishment of the guilty.
Several more amendments were introduced in the Indian Penal Code regarding violence against women, ensuring more strict laws for the safety of women in the country.

(With inputs from agencies)