Lost Will To Live, SC Let Us Down: Parents Of Chhawla Gangrape Victim On Acquittal Accused

The parents of the victim of the Chhawla gangrape case expressed their helplessness and disappointment after Supreme Court acquitted all three accused by overturning Delhi High Court's judgement.

Supreme Court of India

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India acquitted all three accused in the case of Chhawla gangrape. Following the decision, the mother of the victim said: "We have not just lost the battle but also the will to live," while breaking down in tears. The victim's father on the other hand said the apex court has "let them down" and they have lost their faith in the judiciary after battling for over 11 years. He also alleged the system of taking advantage of the fact that they're not economically well-off to continue battling for justice.

The apex court acquitted three men that were earlier sentenced to death for the abducting, gangraping, and murder of the 19-year-old woman in Delhi's Chhawla area in 2012.

In 2014, death penalty was awarded to the accused by a trial court. When the judgement was challenged in Delhi High Court, then the High Court also upheld the judgement. 

"We lost the battle"

The victim's mother broke down outside the court saying: "Even after 11 years, this is the verdict. We have lost it...We lost the battle...I was living with this hope...I have lost my will to live. I thought my daughter would get justice." The father while expressing his helplessness said: "What was supposed to happen with criminals ultimately happened with us".

While talking to PTI, he said, "It has been 11 years since we have been running from pillar to post. The lower court also announced its verdict. We were relieved. From High Court also we were given assurance. But Supreme Court let us down. What was supposed to happen with criminals ultimately happened with us. The law and order system in our country is not for poor people. If this had happened with a rich influential person or a politician, would they also have faced the same fate like us? Overall, its like taking advantage of poverty."

Who was she?

The woman, who was from Uttarakhand, worked at Gurugram's Cyber City, according to the prosecution. When the accused kidnapped her in a vehicle, she was on her way home from work and close to her house.

Her parents filed a missing person report when she didn't come home. Her mutilated and decaying body was found three days after she was abducted in Rewari, Haryana.

On the woman's body, the police discovered several wounds. She was attacked with car tools, glass bottles, metal items, and other weapons, according to further research and an autopsy. They said she was also raped.

The three guys who committed the murder were detained by police, and one of the suspects supposedly was taking revenge from the woman for rejecting his proposal.

(With inputs from PTI)