A Facebook post praising Madras High Court’s recommendation to the Centre to consider castration as punishment for child rapists has evoked strong reactions on social networks. Here’s one such conversation on Facebook.

Shikha Pushpan, a journalist who works with a television news agency, praised the Madras High Court’s recommendation in an update on her Facebook profile: “Thumbs up to Madras HC that suggested castration for child rapists! But why just child rapists? Why not all rapists? Castration looks barbaric, but barbaric crimes should definitely attract barbaric model of punishment.”

Shikha’s suggestion earned support of friends in way of Facebook Likes. But there were words of caution too.

Shobha Rana Grover comments: 10 years ago I thought the same: castration for all rapists. However, my thoughts have drastically changed, and not without reason. As I noticed, most of the rapists convicted were from a particular strata of society… When the accused were peasants, labourers, very poor men, justice was instance. But things were different when the accused had power n money. The victim had difficulties even to get the case registered. Post Nirbhaya, case registration at police station has become easier, but not the whole process of justice when the accused is highly influential… Clearly, we have highly flawed system, including judiciary… And then there’s a different dimension to rape in urban India…

Shobha Rana Grover: Recently I came across a report that said 50 per cent of rape cases registered in Delhi were fabricated… How? Rape cases are filed not just when a woman is violated… Rape cases are filed when a couple returns home after having eloped. Girl’s family pressurizes police to register an FIR for rape (to take revenge or whatever on the boy) and one needs only a medical certificate claiming the couple had sexual intercourse… So the guy is a rapist even if the sex was consensual…

Rape cases are filed when a live-in relationship goes awry… There have been many instances where women have filed rape cases against their live-in partners (yes in Delhi and NCR) because they were saying no to marriage… And then these men and women generally reach a mutual agreement, and the case is withdrawn, after their female partners are paid a huge amount of money…So, castration is definitely not the answer.

Dipu Shaw comments: Along with this there are fabricated cases of rape that are filed after mutual sex. There are numerous examples. Like girls in cities especially Delhi see this as a tool to harass boys. I have friends whose girlfriends threaten them and their families that they will file cases against their boyfriends or ex-boyfriends and their families and make them spend the rest of their lives in prison. Some of them even demanded money (few lakhs) to let go the guys. Believe me, such phenomenon is increasing in Delhi. In spite of this, strict laws as castration will act as deterrent and violence of such heinous nature should have punishment of somewhat equal degree. Only that, the law should also have provisions to safeguard innocent guys and their families from unnecessary harassment. In fact, there should be punishment for fabricated cases. I do not know how this is possible when the law is heavily tilted towards women and rightly so. I have heard of a well-known woman activist who takes up cases and helps boys and their families.

Shikha Pushpan adds: Rapists should be convicted irrespective of their social backgrounds. Belonging to a weaker section does not mean he can escape punishment. If he has violated a woman, he should be punished. But at the same time, yes our judicial system is flawed. Many accused from well-to-do families go unpunished. But my point is a stricter punishment like castration will at least instill sum fear in these sex maniacs. A faster trial court cannot be the only solution. Yes, the Uber driver was probably convicted in less than an year because of this but rape cases have not gone down despite such measures. I guess we should focus more on prevention of rape than on what to do with the rapist after the crime takes place. I feel castration is a bold step in this regard.

Shobha Rana Grover: Do you guys remember the recent case in Gurgaon… Two top cops fighting over a rape case… Gurgaon JCP Bharti Arora had accused her senior and Gurgaon Commissioner Navdeep Virk of interfering in the investigation. Virk had accused her of harassing the “rape victim”… I was actually intrigued by the case because I had earlier too read the alleged rapist’s name but in a different report in August. Of course the identity of the “rape victim” was not revealed in any of the reports. I became curious and dug up some old news articles and found that the same “rape victim” had accused Mr X of molestation in 2011… She withdrew the case in 2013… in 2014 she filed a rape case against a Gurgaon guy with whom she shared a live-in relationship and also had a kid. After three years of living together, the Gurgaon guy refused to marry her saying he didn’t want to divorce his wife. So the woman filed a rape case against him, and it’s the same case that became the bone of contention between Bharti and Virk. Now comes in picture the third alleged rapist. This year in January, same woman filed a rape case against a US citizen of Indian origin. Yes, both were living-in. The rapist alleges that the victim is asking Rs 5 crore to withdraw the case. One woman, three known rape cases in three different police stations in Delhi, NCR (may be there are more case she has filed). All the rape accused are men from wealthy families…

Shikha Pushpan: Yeah, a typical case of misusing the law and taking advantage of being a “woman”. Sadly, the female cop was transferred after dis controversy.

Background

Justice N Kirubakaran of the Madras High Court had suggested child rapists should be castrated as existing laws had proved to be “ineffective and incapable” in protecting children. The High Court made this remark while rejecting a plea by a British national accused of sexually abusing a boy.

Three girls, a two-and-half year old toddler and another five-year-old among them, were raped in Delhi earlier this month. Two teenage boys – aged 16 and 17 years – have been arrested in connection with the toddler’s rape.

According to statistics, an average of four children under the age of 12, are raped in the capital every week.