The National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) has held a press conference at the Press Club of India, New Delhi, strongly condemning recent regressive and patriarchal judgments by various High Courts that undermine women’s and children’s rights. The organization expressed deep distress over rulings that trivialize sexual violence, impose marriage as a "solution" for crimes, and blatantly disregard laws like the POCSO Act.
NFIW highlighted a shocking March 19, 2025, ruling by the Allahabad High Court, where Justice Ram Manohar Narayan Mishra stated that "grabbing the breast of a girl and breaking her pant string is not an attempt to rape, but an attempt to sexually molest." The case involved an 11-year-old girl attacked by two men in Uttar Pradesh’s Kasganj in 2021. Despite the accused attempting to push her under a bridge, the court dismissed it as mere "preparation," not an "attempt to rape," violating Section 7 of the POCSO Act, which defines such acts as sexual assault.
Syeda Hameed, NFIW President, said, "If touching breasts and opening a pant string is not an attempt to rape, what is? This judgment mocks the POCSO Act and decades of women’s struggles."
NFIW also criticized judgments where courts imposed marriage as a condition for bail or case closure in POCSO cases, undermining the law’s strict stance on child sexual abuse. Examples include the Allahabad High Court (2024), which granted bail to a POCSO accused on condition he marry the minor victim, and the Madras High Court (2016), which quashed a POCSO case after the accused married the 17-year-old survivor.
Nisha Sidhu, NFIW General Secretary, stated, "Judges are violating constitutional rights to equality. Such rulings must have consequences—removal from office and recorded reprimands."
Other concerning rulings cited by NFIW include the Bombay High Court (2021), which acquitted a POCSO accused for lack of "skin-to-skin contact," the Madhya Pradesh High Court (2020), which ordered a sexual assault accused to get a rakhi tied by the victim, and the Punjab & Haryana High Court (2017), which granted bail in a gang rape case, blaming the victim’s "promiscuous attitude."
NFIW’s demands include the revocation of the Allahabad HC judgment and removal of Justice Mishra for disregarding constitutional principles, strict directives from the Chief Justice of India against gender-biased judgments, punitive action against judges delivering regressive verdicts, including entries in their service records, and mandatory gender sensitization programs for the judiciary.
Annie Raja, NFIW Vice-President, warned, "These judgments embolden perpetrators and institutionalize patriarchy. We will launch a nationwide campaign for accountability."
NFIW urged the media and public to challenge such rulings, emphasizing that justice cannot be sacrificed at the altar of patriarchal norms.
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