With the Supreme Court rejecting the plea against the release of the juvenile convict, the parents of the Dece... Read More

NEW DELHI: With the Supreme Court rejecting the plea against release of the juvenile convict, the parents of the December 16 gang-rape victim on Monday said the courts have failed them and asked how many Nirbhayas would it take for the laws to change.

The victim's mother Asha Devi said her fight against the system would continue.

"We were not very hopeful that the Supreme Court will give a favourable verdict but I want to ask how many Nirbhayas are needed for the laws to change in the country," the victim's father Badri Singh told reporters.

"The court is not bothered about the concerns of the public....This fight is not just about Nirbhaya but for every girl who is unsafe in a country which has such laws," he added.

The victim's mother said she would fight till the law is changed.

"I will not be defeated, the SC decision can't stop me, I have to fight a long battle, I will fight till the bill is passed and law is changed.

"The court is saying that the law does not permit further punishment for the juvenile but why is the case against other convicts still pending. Why have they not been hanged yet?," she said.

READ ALSO:

No stay on Nirbhaya juvenile rapist's release, SC says

Black day for women of country, DCW chief Maliwal says

DCW chief Swati Maliwal termed it a "black day" for women and said the country has been "cheated" as a proposed law which could have allowed stronger punishment to him remains pending in Rajya Sabha.

"It is a black day for women in history of the country. I also believe that the Rajya Sabha has cheated the country by keeping the law pending which could have facilitated stronger punishment for juveniles in heinous crimes," the chief of Delhi Commission for Women told reporters outside the Supreme Court.

She was referring to the bill to amend the Juvenile Justice Act which remains stuck in the Rajya Sabha. The proposed amendment bill seeks stringent punishment for children aged 16-18 years involved in heinous crimes.

"The judges told me that they share our concerns but there is no provision to subvert the existing law. I think the time for candle marches is over and women should pick up mashaals (torches) instead to demand for justice," Maliwal added.

Hours before the juvenile was to be freed from an observation home on completion of his three year term at Majnu Ka Tila, Maliwal had moved the Supreme Court on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday in a last-ditch effort to try and stall the release.

In its post midnight order, the Supreme Court had declined to stop the release of the juvenile offender and posted the matter before a vacation bench to be heard today.

Amid continued protest by the victim's parents, the juvenile convict was on Sunday released and sent to an NGO at an undisclosed destination with police no longer guarding him.

READ ALSO:

Nirbhaya juvenile opts to stay with city NGO as term ends

Read this story in Malayalam: നിർഭയ കേസ്: നീതി ലഭിച്ചില്ലെന്ന് ജ്യോതി സിംഗിന്‍റെ അമ്മ