We worship goddesses but treat women, girls as objects of lust: UP Court awards death penalty to 2 men for gang-rape of minor girl

A Court in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday awarded the death penalty to two men for gang-raping a minor girl while pointing out the irony of how Indian society, while worshipping various goddesses for their needs, still see women as objects of enjoyment [State v Haleem & Ors]..Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Court judge Pankaj Kumar Srivastava stated in his order,"It is ironic that in our country, we worship Maa Durga for strength, Maa Lakshmi for wealth, Maa Saraswati for knowledge, and worship rivers like The Ganga like mothers. We have elevated women to the posts of President, Prime Minister, Chief Minister, Governor etc, in that country such a heinous and brutal gang rape of a minor victim puts a question mark on the whole society.".The judge also lamented that society is so narrow-minded that while worshipping these goddesses for their needs, they see the goddesses who are around us, in the form of women, as objects of enjoyment, and do not spare even minor children to fulfil their desires..Three accused persons were booked for the offences of gang-rape, kidnapping, attempt to kill and various other sections under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the POCSO Act.As per the prosecution case, in December 2021, the three accused persons kidnapped the minor girl, took her to the nearby railway lines, and committed gang-rape on her. She was left there unconscious with several brutal injuries.Subsequently, a case was filed against the three accused persons, one of whom was a juvenile..While confirming death sentence of the two men, the judge took into consideration various Supreme Court judgments and held that the present case fell into the 'rarest of rare' category, as the men had deformed the face of the victim completely and inflicted other bodily injuries."The accused have not only gang-raped the victim but have also spoiled her face by blinding her from the left eye. Whenever the victim would see herself in the mirror, she would feel sorry for herself as to why she was born in this world as a daughter. People die once in their life and this victim will die thousands, millions of times.".The judge also remarked that just like Goddess Sita, who had to pass a test of purity, the victim will be put to a similar test everyday. At the same time, the judge hoped that she would forget the incident and not attempt to commit the "cowardly" act of suicide."There is no place for the future of the victim, because this is the country where Mata Sita also had to pass through the altar of fire to prove her purity. The Court hopes that the victim will try to forget her sorrows with time and try to lead a good life and will never try to attempt a cowardly act like suicide," the Court noted..The Court directed the District Magistrate, Pratapgarh to pay financial compensation to the victim as per rules under the Uttar Pradesh Rani Laxmibai Mahila Samman Kosh scheme, and to inform it within one month from the date of the order whether financial compensation was paid to the victim..[Read Order]