New Delhi, March 26: The National Commission for Women (NCW) has expressed its support for the Supreme Court's decision to stay the controversial ruling by the Allahabad High Court. The High Court had controversially held that acts such as grabbing the breasts of a minor, breaking the strings of her pyjamas, and attempting to drag her into a culvert did not constitute an attempt to rape.
The Supreme Court bench took suo motu cognizance of the High Court’s decision, which had sparked widespread public outrage. The bench strongly disagreed with the High Court’s stance, calling the judgment "shocking." The NCW has been actively working to challenge this judgment and has already submitted detailed grounds for appeal to the Ministry of Law and Justice.
Vijaya Rahatkar, Chairperson of the NCW, has discussed the matter with Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State for the Ministry of Law and Justice, as per the NCW's press release.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Supreme Court criticized the Allahabad High Court's ruling for its "lack of sensitivity." The judgment, which downplayed the severity of the actions, had concluded that such behavior did not amount to rape or an attempt to rape. Justices BR Gavai and Augustine George Masih, who were part of the bench, labeled the matter as "serious" and called the judge’s insensitivity "total." Justice Gavai remarked, "It is a serious matter. Total insensitiveness on the part of the judge. This was at the stage of issuing summons. We are sorry to use such harsh words against the judge."
The Supreme Court took suo motu notice of the issue after senior advocate Shobha Gupta, representing the organization 'We the Women of India', brought the March 17 order of the Allahabad High Court to the attention of the Chief Justice of India.
