India has vowed to ensure that the culprits involved in December's horrific gang rape and subsequent death of an Indian woman in Delhi are brought to speedy justice to send out a sternest possible message.
‘The Government of India will ensure that the culprits are brought to speedy justice, and the sternest possible message sent out by giving them the punishment they deserve,’ India's permanent representative to UN, Hardeep Singh Puri, said Wednesday.
‘The Government of India shares the collective anguish of all Indians, on this most horrific incident,’ he said participating in the first regular session of UN Women Executive Board where a reference was made to the Delhi gang rape.
Justice J S Verma's Committee, Puri noted, has suggested ways to initiate a series of steps to ensure that such crimes do not happen again.
Earlier, in her opening statement, Michelle Bachelet, Under Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women, referred to the ‘tragic news from India that ignited public outrage in that country, which echoed around the world.’
‘I am speaking of the brutal gang rape and death of a 23-year-old student in New Delhi,’ she said and referred to the case of a gang rape of a 16-year-old girl in Ohio and the tragic shooting in Pakistan of girls' education activist, Malala Yousafzai. Noting that ‘violence against women is rampant everywhere, in all countries,’ Bachelet said UN Women is calling on governments everywhere to commit to end violence against women and girls.
So far, 16 governments have announced new commitments and UN Women will keep pushing, as a priority, to end violence against women in all its forms, she said. In response, Puri said the ‘edifice of the Indian society is premised on the all embracing power of the Indian woman - which in our ancient thought and religious belief, bestows her the power to create, nurture and transform. ‘She is not only worshipped as Durga the goddess of creation, but also as Saraswati - the inspiration for all music, poetry, science and learning.’ ‘It is therefore absolutely reprehensible that such an horrific tragedy happened on Indian soil,’ Puri said.
‘While it would remain a blot on the strong feminist credentials of the Indian societal fabric, the incident indeed shook the whole conscience of our nation at its very roots,’ he said.
PLEA FOR TRYING JUVENILE WITH ADULT ACCUSED DISMISSED
A plea for prosecution of the juvenile accused in the 16 Dec gangrape case alongwith the five adult accused was on Thursday dismissed by the Juvenile Justice Board.
The petition, moved by Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy seeking the prosecution of the sole juvenile along with the five adult accused, was rejected by the Board presided over by Principal Magistrate Geetanjali Goel here.
Janata Party General Secretary Jagdish Shetty told the media outside JJB, ‘Subramanian Swamy is in Chennai right now and he has been informed about the decision of the Board. We would be filing an appeal against the order in several fora including the Delhi HC.’
Swamy had yesterday moved the HC seeking a direction to prosecute the juvenile along with other co-accused in the case, saying the waiver from prosecution to such minors was ‘unreasonable’.
‘The Government of India will ensure that the culprits are brought to speedy justice, and the sternest possible message sent out by giving them the punishment they deserve,’ India's permanent representative to UN, Hardeep Singh Puri, said Wednesday.
‘The Government of India shares the collective anguish of all Indians, on this most horrific incident,’ he said participating in the first regular session of UN Women Executive Board where a reference was made to the Delhi gang rape.
Justice J S Verma's Committee, Puri noted, has suggested ways to initiate a series of steps to ensure that such crimes do not happen again.
Earlier, in her opening statement, Michelle Bachelet, Under Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women, referred to the ‘tragic news from India that ignited public outrage in that country, which echoed around the world.’
‘I am speaking of the brutal gang rape and death of a 23-year-old student in New Delhi,’ she said and referred to the case of a gang rape of a 16-year-old girl in Ohio and the tragic shooting in Pakistan of girls' education activist, Malala Yousafzai. Noting that ‘violence against women is rampant everywhere, in all countries,’ Bachelet said UN Women is calling on governments everywhere to commit to end violence against women and girls.
So far, 16 governments have announced new commitments and UN Women will keep pushing, as a priority, to end violence against women in all its forms, she said. In response, Puri said the ‘edifice of the Indian society is premised on the all embracing power of the Indian woman - which in our ancient thought and religious belief, bestows her the power to create, nurture and transform. ‘She is not only worshipped as Durga the goddess of creation, but also as Saraswati - the inspiration for all music, poetry, science and learning.’ ‘It is therefore absolutely reprehensible that such an horrific tragedy happened on Indian soil,’ Puri said.
‘While it would remain a blot on the strong feminist credentials of the Indian societal fabric, the incident indeed shook the whole conscience of our nation at its very roots,’ he said.
PLEA FOR TRYING JUVENILE WITH ADULT ACCUSED DISMISSED
A plea for prosecution of the juvenile accused in the 16 Dec gangrape case alongwith the five adult accused was on Thursday dismissed by the Juvenile Justice Board.
The petition, moved by Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy seeking the prosecution of the sole juvenile along with the five adult accused, was rejected by the Board presided over by Principal Magistrate Geetanjali Goel here.
Janata Party General Secretary Jagdish Shetty told the media outside JJB, ‘Subramanian Swamy is in Chennai right now and he has been informed about the decision of the Board. We would be filing an appeal against the order in several fora including the Delhi HC.’
Swamy had yesterday moved the HC seeking a direction to prosecute the juvenile along with other co-accused in the case, saying the waiver from prosecution to such minors was ‘unreasonable’.