On Wednesday, a court in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, sentenced two men to death for gang-raping a young girl, highlighting the irony of how Indian society, although worshipping many goddesses for their needs, nevertheless views women as objects of pleasure.

In his order, Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Court Judge Pankaj Kumar Srivastava observed, “It’s paradoxical that we revere Maa Durga for strength, Maa Lakshmi for riches, Maa Saraswati for education, and rivers like The Ganga as mothers in our country. We have elevated women to positions such as President, Prime Minister, Chief Minister, Governor, and so on. In that country, such a horrific and barbaric gang rape of a minor victim calls the entire society into question.”

The judge further regretted that society is so narrow-minded that, despite worshipping these goddesses for their wants, they consider the goddesses who surround us, in the guise of women, as objects of pleasure, and do not spare even little children to satisfy their demands.

Three people were charged with gang rape, kidnapping, attempting to kill, and several other offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the POCSO Act.

According to the prosecution case, the three accused persons kidnapped the juvenile girl in December 2021, carried her to nearby railway lines, and gang-raped her. She was left unconscious with multiple horrific injuries. Following that, a case was brought against the three accused individuals, one of them was a minor.

While confirming the two men’s death sentences, the judge considered various Supreme Court judgments and concluded that the current case fell into the ‘rarest of rare’ category because the men completely deformed the victim’s face and inflicted other bodily injuries. “The accused have not only gang-raped the victim but have also spoiled her face by blinding her from the left eye.” The Court ordered the District Magistrate of Pratapgarh to compensate the victim financially in accordance with the regulations of the Uttar Pradesh Rani Laxmibai Mahila Samman Kosh scheme.