IAS Officer Rapes A Woman, Gets Suspended And A Case Is Registered Against Him. But With Our Judicial System, Will Justice Be Served On Time?
What do you do when each day you hear of some woman getting assaulted, abused, and violated? Someone somewhere is being silenced, sold, and stripped off her rights as a human. The other day, I had to buy some medicines and it was a bit late so I was apprehensive. As I walked, I looked around what once used to be a busy street but now seemed rather isolated, I panicked a little. And the only people I could see were guys on bike rides, most of them feeling too invincible to even cover their mouths or stay home. I remember that feeling when those guys made sure to stare at me for a while. That very moment I took a U-turn and quickly walked back home. I hate to think that even the smallest of things in our lives require us to be vigilant. Guys don’t even have to think twice to be able to simply go and get the meds or anything at all. Me? I had to wait until the next morning so I can get it, without the threat of me getting raped and killed.
We keep asking for justice but how do we keep faith when even the IAS officers of our country are getting accused of rape and obscenity? An IAS officer Janak Prasad Pathak is accused of raping a 33-year-old woman while he was posted in Janjgir-Champa district in Chhattisgarh last month. He was serving as the collector there.
The woman complained to the Superintendent of Police Parul Mathur in the district that the said officer sexually abused her in “by threatening to sack her husband, a government employee,” says a report by New Indian Express.
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It was also reported that Pathak sent her obscene messages and the lady also shared screenshots as evidence with the police. Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has suspended him due to the accusation and supporting evidence. “Taking serious congnisance of the allegations against the officer, the chief minister has directed Chief Secretary R P Mandal to suspend him with immediate effect and get the matter probed by a high-level committee,” said an official statement.
ALSO READ: The Nirbhaya Case Has Taught Us Many Lessons. Our Battle Is Not Over Yet.
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A case has been registered against the suspended IAS officer under IPC sections 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 B (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman). I am glad this escalated quickly but we’ve seen how the guilty can play with law and delay justice. Until the loopholes in our judicial system are fixed, can we simply be content with a registered case? Nirbhaya’s perpetrators played hooky with the noose for the longest time while her mother’s wounds continued to fester. We see criminals being let out on bail and attacking the rape survivors and their families the first thing. We see high-profile criminals being let out on grounds of “good behaviour”. Our judicial system allows rapists to play with justice and a case registered will not change that.
