32 years later

THE 1992 Ajmer rape case, in which around 100 schoolgirls were sexually assaulted and blackmailed, points to the deplorable state of justice in India. The sentencing to life of four accused on Tuesday, 32 years after the heinous crime, underscores the systemic failures that allow such atrocities to persist. Despite the existence of stringent laws meant to protect women and deter sexual crimes, the grim reality is that justice remains elusive for many victims.

This case was part of a horrifying racket that preyed on young school- and college-going girls in Ajmer. They were blackmailed and sexually exploited by men wielding significant influence, political and financial. Among the most notorious of these predators were Farooq Chishti and Nafis Chishti, Youth Congress leaders who brazenly used their power to silence the girls. Their ability to manipulate the system led to attempts to erase evidence of their crimes, complicating the pursuit of justice. Traumatised, some victims even died by suicide.

Much like the recent Kolkata incident where a doctor was brutally raped and murdered, echoing the infamous Nirbhaya case, the Ajmer case is another symbol of the pervasive culture of violence against women. The delay in delivering justice in these cases not only exacerbates the trauma for the victims but also erodes public trust in the legal system as perpetrators manage to evade culpability for years, if not decades. The real change will come when these laws are enforced promptly, when the culprits are held accountable without delay and when the victims’ voices are heard and respected. The pursuit of justice must not be an afterthought, but a priority, to ensure that such tragedies are curbed, even as our society is today rattled by protests over the doctor’s rape-murder and the sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls in Badlapur, Maharashtra.