The Supreme Court on Monday acquitted three men who were sentenced to death for the gangrape and murder of a 19-year-old woman in Delhi’s Chhawala area in 2012, reported PTI.
The three men, Ravi Kumar, Rahul and Vinod, were given the death penalty by a trial court in February 2014. On August 26, 2014, the order was upheld by the Delhi High Court which had noted that the accused were “predators looking for prey”, reported The New Indian Express.
The woman’s body was mutilated body was found three days after she was abducted in Delhi in 2012. According to the police one of the accused men, committed the crime to take revenge after the woman had turned down his proposal, reported PTI.
On Monday, the Supreme Court bench comprising the Chief Justice of India UU Lalit, Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Bela M Trivedi cancelled the Delhi High Court ruling and said that all three accused will be acquitted.
The woman’s parents said that the top court’s ruling was a “huge blow” to them, reported NDTV.
“We had come here [Supreme Court] with the hope of getting justice and we had faith in the court, but we didn’t get justice,” the woman’s father said. “If this is what the law does, then how can one have faith in the legal system.”
The lawyer representing the woman’s parents has said that they will file a review petition once the details of the court order came out, reported the news channel.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!