Chhawla gang rape-murder case: Delhi government to challenge convicts' release
Two weeks after the Supreme Court ordered the release of the three convicts in the 2012 Chhawla gang rape-murder case, the Delhi government is set to challenge the order after receiving a go-ahead from Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) VK Saxena. An SC bench acquitted them on November 7, observing that it was "difficult to hold that the prosecution had proved the guilt of the accused."
Why does this story matter?
Three men were convicted of raping and killing a 19-year-old woman in Delhi's Chhawla Camp in 2012—months before the sensational Nirbhaya gang rape-murder incident. The victim's family said the convicts' acquittal faded their 12 years of struggle for justice. They earlier alleged the convicts would threaten them in the courtroom. This came after the early release of 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case.
What exactly is the case?
The deceased woman hailed from Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal district and worked with a private company at Cyber City, Gurugram. In February 2012, three men in a car abducted her when she was walking home with two friends after getting off a bus at Delhi's Chhawla Camp. Her body was found days later in a field at Rewari, Haryana, with burn marks and multiple injuries.
Convicts moved the Delhi High Court
The woman's autopsy report showed she was attacked with glass bottles and car tools. Subsequently, a complaint was registered at Delhi's Najafgarh Police Station, and an investigation was initiated. Two years later, in February 2014, a Delhi court convicted the three men and sentenced them to death. They were charged with kidnapping, rape, and murder. However, the convicts later approached the Delhi High Court.
Delhi HC called convicts 'predators, bloodhounds'
After hearing the case in August 2014, however, the Delhi High Court upheld the lower court's judgment. The court described the trio as "predators trawling the streets for prey" and "trained bloodhounds picking out a scent," underscoring the gruesome manner in which the deceased's body was mutilated. But the convicts later challenged the HC's judgment and moved the SC, which freed them last week.
