The Pune rape case – a young woman was raped Tuesday morning, 100 metres from a police station and in a bus in the city’s bus Swargate Bus Stand – has led to outrage, with Maharashtra deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar demanding death for the accused.
It has also re-ignited conversations around rape laws in India, which were supposed to have been overhauled, and made tougher, after the horrific rape-murder of a woman in Delhi in 2012.
The inhuman and barbaric assault – which included her rapists forcing iron rods into her vagina – was condemned by the United Nations and she was immortalised as ‘Nirbhaya‘, or ‘fearless’.
How effective that overhaul, which included changing the definition of the word ‘rape’ and prescribing a minimum jail term of 20 years for rapists killing or causing their target to be in a “persistent vegetative state” – was is unclear. It has not stopped the flood of rapes reported since, including many in which items and substances were forced into women’s vaginas.
On the efficacy of the changes in the law, ex-Supreme Court Chief Justice DY Chandrachud weighed in Thursday afternoon, saying, “A lot of changes were made following the ‘Nirbhaya’ incident… but we cannot prevent such incidents by just having these laws.”
VIDEO | Former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Pune bus rape incident says, “A lot of changes were made in the laws following the ‘Nirbhaya’ incident, however, we can not prevent such incident by only having laws. There is a great responsibility on the society and apart… pic.twitter.com/hN3Vb0WcHc
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 27, 2025
“There is a great responsibility on society and, apart from this, there should be implementation of these laws. Laws made for women should be implemented properly,” he said.
“Women should feel safe wherever they go. It is important that in such cases there should be proper investigation, strong action, quick trial and punishment. The legal system and the police have a big responsibility (to make this happen),” the former Chief Justice stressed.
What ‘Nirbhaya’s’ Mother Said
In December last year, on the 12th anniversary of the Delhi rape case, ‘Nirbhaya’s’ mother lamented the fact women are still largely unsafe across India.
“It is with great pain that I want to say that even after 12 years the circumstances have not changed…The daughters of the country are not safe…” she said, fighting back tears, at the National Convention on Prevention of Violence Against Women and Children.
READ | 12 Years After Nirbhaya’, Mother Says Women Still Unsafe In India
“Jo bhi humara kanoon hai uspe sahi mayane mein kaam ho taki humari bacchiyon ko insaaf mile (Whatever laws we have they should be a law in real sense so that our daughters get justice).”
‘Nirbhaya’s’ mother, Asha Devi, led the long and exhausting fight for justice for her daughter (File).
In between the ‘Nirbhaya’ and Pune bus rapes, there have seen many such barbaric attacks, including the dreadful rape-murder of a junior doctor in Bengal, in Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital, in August last year and the gangrape of 20-year-old Dalit woman in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras.
There have also been countless reports of minors being sexually assaulted and killed, often by members of their family, people morally tasked with ensuring their physical and mental safety.
Pune Bus Stand Rape
The alleged rape took place between 5.45 am and 6 am on Tuesday.
The young woman, a domestic, was waiting to board a bus to her hometown in Satara district when she was accosted by the accused, who has been identified as Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, a 36-year-old man with six criminal cases against him and who has been out on bail since 2019.
Gade has been on the run since the rape.
READ | Pune Rape Accused Hiding In Sugarcane Field? Drones Used
Pune Police, under fire for failing to adequately secure the bus stand, formed 13 special teams to track him down. Earlier today sources told NDTV Gade had been tracked to his hometown.
There are acres of sugarcane fields in that area, and he is believed to be hiding in that vast tract of land. The cops have deployed drones and sniffer dogs to capture him, sources said.
The police have also offered a reward of Rs 1 lakh for Gade’s capture.
Apart from the police and the Maharashtra Road Transport Corporation, which operates that bus stand, the state’s ruling Mahayuti alliance, led by the BJP, has also been criticised.
READ | Pune Woman Raped In Bus By Man On Bail Since 2019
Opposition leaders – from the Congress and the Shiv Sena and NCP factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar – have slammed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ government for failing to ensure women’s safety. Mr Fadnavis also heads the state’s Home Department.
With input from agencies
NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.
