NEW DELHI: Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi on Friday said the Supreme Court should intervene in the Allahabad High Court's ruling, which held that actions like grabbing breasts or snapping a pyjama string do not constitute rape or an attempt to rape but rather fall under the lesser charge of aggravated sexual assault.
Speaking to reporters outside the Lok Sabha, Devi said she "completely disagreed" with the verdict and called for the Supreme Court to take cognizance of the matter.
"I am completely against this decision and the Supreme Court should take serious note of it. Such a ruling has no place in a civilized society," she told PTI Videos.
The minister also expressed concern over the broader implications of the judgement, warning that it could send a wrong message to the society.
"Somewhere, this will have a negative impact on society and we will discuss this matter further," she added.
The case involved an 11-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj who was attacked in 2021 by two men -- Pawan and Akash.
The accused grabbed her breasts, tore her pyjama string and attempted to drag her under a culvert while she was walking with her mother.
The assailants fled when the passers-by intervened upon hearing her screams.
Justice Ram Manohar Narayan Mishra, observed:
"...the allegation against accused Pawan and Akash is that they grabbed the breasts of the victim and Akash tried to bring down lower garment of the victim and for that purpose they had broken string of her lower garments and tried to drag her beneath the culvert, but due to intervention of witnesses they left the victim and fled away from the place of incident. This fact is not sufficient to draw an inference that the accused persons had determined to commit rape on victim as apart from these facts no other act is attributed to them to further their alleged desire to commit rape on the victim."
Swati Maliwal, former Delhi DCW chief and Rajya Sabha MP, condemned the judgment, calling it unfortunate and shocking. She criticized the reasoning behind the verdict, questioning how the act committed by the accused was not considered rape. Describing the situation as shameful, she urged the Supreme Court to intervene.
Prominent Indian lawyer Indira Jaising also weighed in on the case, stating on X that the Supreme Court should take suo motu action. She emphasized that judges have been held accountable for much less in the past.
(With inputs from Online Desk)