CJI bench: Advocate ate naphtalene balls to protest inaction in gang rape

The Supreme Court will Tuesday hear a plea alleging police inaction on a complaint by an advocate from Chhattisgarh, alleging gang rape by her husband’s family members and two others on 29 November 2013.

When the apex court bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) RM Lodha was about to leave a court room after the completion of cases listed before it Monday, the advocate got up crying for justice, saying she was gang raped.

She said, despite lodging complaints, Chhattisgarh police have taken no action against her perpetrators.

As she was not clearly audible, the apex court asked another female lawyer sitting next to her to tell the court what she was saying.

She reportedly said that she had consumed naphthalene balls. At this the apex court directed her to be taken to its Central Government Health Scheme’s first aid centre. She was later moved to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

Taking suo motu cognizance of the matter, the apex court said it will hear the case Tuesday

Comments

Anon 22 Sept 2014, 16:03
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Any news, is she okay?
Anon 23 Sept 2014, 05:09
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Hey Kian, the TOI report does not state that she is not a lawyer.
kianganz 23 Sept 2014, 05:21
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Yeah - we've corrected the story. Yesterday agencies and newspapers reported that she was a lawyer - TOI this morning confirmed that she was only dressed as one...
Anon 23 Sept 2014, 06:34
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TOI said a woman dreassed as a lawyer - this does not mean that she was/ is not a lawyer - all other stories including more recent TOI stories are calling her a lawyer.

TOI is just being literal.
kianganz 23 Sept 2014, 06:37
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That could very well be - I guess no one knows right now whether she is a lawyer or not, so safer to say she was dressed as one?
Anon 23 Sept 2014, 06:51
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Yeah, all women lawyers in the Suprreme Court that day were dressed as lawyers - does not make them fake lawyers. Kian you must correct your correction.
kianganz 23 Sept 2014, 11:58
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Yes thanks, you're right...
kianganz 23 Sept 2014, 06:50
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Latest update, from IANS:

[quote]The Supreme Court Tuesday directed the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of a Chhattisgarh district to submit all records, including status reports, on the police action taken on the alleged gang rape of a woman advocate by the relatives of her husband.

The woman had tried to commit suicide in the Supreme Court premises Monday.

An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice R.M. Lodha also said that the woman advocate, currently undergoing treatment at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, will be provided with protection.

The court said the victim can approach the Delhi Legal Aid Society for any legal assistance she may require in the matter.

The advocate sought justice by the Supreme Court when in a court room she raised the issue of police inaction on her complaint of being gang-raped by relatives of her husband.

While apprising the court of the ordeal she has undergone, the victim told the court that she had consumed phenyl balls to end her life in the face of gross injustice being meted out to her.[/quote]