Bengaluru (Karnataka): The incident in which a woman was paraded naked in a village in the Belagavi district has been described as an "extraordinary case" by the Karnataka High Court, which expressed its agony and declared that the woman would be rendered justice. In the early hours of December 11, the woman was allegedly attacked, paraded naked and tied to an electric pole after her son eloped with a girl, who was going to get engaged to someone else. To file an additional report, a division bench ordered the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and the Police Commissioner of Belagavi to appear in court on December 18.
"Will we witness advancement or equality, or could we go back to the 17th and 18th centuries? Such harsh words come from our anguish. We are doing too much, but we are powerless". The bench stated, "We feel the least we can do is express our anguish in some harsh words". The HC went on to say that the incident will have an impact on the next generation.
"Are we promoting a culture that allows people to hope for a brighter future or are we promoting a culture in which some people believe it is preferable to die than to live? where women are not respected", the court added.
The HC pointed out during the hearings that since the accused were also members of the SC/ST community, the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act did not apply to this case. Based on news reports, the HC had taken suo motu cognizance of the incident on December 12. The Human Rights Council stated during the hearing on Thursday, that a risky precedent is being set that there is no fear of the law. It's sending a dangerous message that people don't fear the law. It is regrettable if this occurs in the progressive state of Karnataka. The court stated, "No fear of the law is very, very disturbing."
The Court said it was speechless that the Women's Commission was not in the picture yet. With a very heavy heart, we have to say that the Commission for Women acts on what somebody says in a TV debate but when this is done where is the commission? Have they taken cognisance? Any women's rights or human rights commission have done anything? No personal visit to the spot or family. We are speechless what can we say?
The court declared that the case was exceptional and that we would handle it as such. The HC stated, "Tell your inspector not to have lunch or dinner until he is arrested," because the accused is evading capture. The HC also instructed the AG to see if the victim, a woman, was eligible for any kind of compensation. It said, "Come up with some financial help for the woman and her family."
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