Bollywood outraged by juvenile rapists 3-year remand-home sentence

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart… Bollywood fraternity is outraged at the 3-year remand-home sentencing for the Delhi rape accused. We bring your some of the reactions.

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra: "We need to redefine the term 'juvenile'. Let this be the moment when the law is amended. The thinkers, movers and shakers have to spearhead this moment and lay down the foundation for a social change. The society, media and governance have to take the responsibility. There is no room for rhetoric."

Suchitra Krishnamoorthy: "It is an absolute shame paving the way for juveniles to make a career out of crime. Our lawmakers seem to be pandering to vested interests instead of serving the people."

Vishal Dadlani: "Clearly the law is ill-equipped to deal with borderline cases. This has made it seem like other 17-year olds can get away with the worst sort of brutality. It's disgraceful and truly sad. I hope someone in the juvenile home feels strongly enough about this to give this inhuman coward the punishment he deserves."

Shilpa Shukla: "I had lit a butter lamp earlier this year at Bodhgaya for Nirbhaya. She is always in my heart. I believe in hating the sin, not the sinner. And I believe in the power of change of heart. I hope the boy realizes his sin and seeks redemption in the next 3 years. And the same goes for every man who violates a woman."

Gauhar Khan: "So sad that a girl's extinguished life is worth only three years of the life of the monster who perpetrated the heinous crime. We really shouldn't refer to our nation as Bharat Mata because we insult our mothers, sisters and daughters all the time."

Deepa Sahi: "The very idea of rape makes my blood boil. Every rapist should be castrated. If a person is old enough to commit such a heinous crime, he is old enough to be punished for it. The law needs to be implemented in a perspective. Nothing in life makes sense without a context. Otherwise offenders will always take advantage of well-intended laws."

Naseeruddin Shah: "That 'the law is an ass' is so well proved."

Neetu Chandra: "It is so disheartening to learn that this man will walk out after 3 years ready to rape more women. I am hoping for divine intervention for proper justice to happen. Nirbhaya's family and all of us deserve nothing less. The current punishment is a joke."

Kunal Kohli: "It is sick and disgusting that the perpetrator of one of the worst crimes in recent times gets away with just 3 years. This is a mockery of justice. Juvenile laws should not be applicable for rape and murder. If you can commit such a crime then you do not qualify as a juvenile. What is really juvenile here is our archaic legal system."

Swara Bhaskara: "It's a SHAME. People should be judged and punished for their act not for their age. There is nothing childlike or juvenile about the brutal crime this boy has committed. This amounts to him getting away almost scot-free. He deserves to be hung for the volume of violence he inflicted on the girl. It shows an inhuman perversion and brutality. He deserves only the death penalty."

Prasoon Joshi: "This decision urges us to look at a more nuanced process of justice. Our fight for the safety and dignity of women needs us to re-define the law."

Onir: "The verdict is a shame. I think looking at how fast the new generation grows, 16 is the new 21.While I believe that the so-called juvenile needs to be counseled and given a chance because his crime is a consequence of social divide and illiteracy that we are guilty of, I hope this judgment does not give license to others of that age group to commit the same crime. Also I am worried about what such a 'juvenile' can do to other inmates in a remand home. It is a shame that the law doesn't know how to evaluate every case individually and functions on obsolete rules."

Richa Chadha: "The laws are archaic and unreasonable for people in the lower income groups. Those who are declared juveniles are often parents. We can't show this leniency just because he is declared a juvenile. If he is old enough to rape he is old enough to hang. Or he could be a bomb ready to explore after 3 years. Surely, effectual reform is the way forward. To simply claim he is a child and must be handled leniently is myopic. He was conscious of the chilling crime he committed."

Kabir Bedi: "The 3-year sentence is outrageous. The maximum sentence the juvenile court is allowed to give must be changed immediately and in this case with retrospective effect."

Pooja Bhatt: "I am too nauseated to comment. The thought that this person will be roaming the streets in less than 3 years is scary, to say the least."

Anupam Kher: "I am appalled, horrified, numbed and disgusted by the Nibhaya rapist being given 3 years because he is apparently a juvenile. Juvenile? Means a child, right? Do children commit rape? Do they brutalize and ravage women in such an animal-like way? If the brute who did this to Nirbhaya gets only 3 years what is the disincentive for other potential 17-18 year old rapists? That b**tard is now going to be kept in a comfortable safe environment, fed and sheltered in a remand home and will probably lead a better life than he does back home where he came from. In fact the scariest and most disgusting thought that comes to mind right now is that so called juveniles who don't have homes and enough food can now commit rape and lead comfortable life for three years in a remand home….Words actually fail to express my outrage. But then this is the country and the politicians that we have gifted ourselves. This is the country where Digvijay Singh refers to a woman as 'tanch maal'. I think it's reflective of the mindset of those who are our leaders and politicians. Do these movers and shakers of our society realize what rape does to the victim and to her family? It's not just the girl who is scarred and stigmatized for life. It's also her parents and family. For the rest of his life, the father of a rape victim is looked on with nauseating sympathy as the poor man whose daughter went through what she did. I am disgusted that stringent laws have not been passed to curb rape incidents. What are the politicians doing? Why is parliament not outraged enough? Guess what? They just don't care!"

Article written by staff at Bollywood Hungama. Read more