Ex-CJI Chandrachud recalls ‘Nirbhya’ after Pune rape: 'Several changes made, but...'

Former CJI Chandrachud says women should feel safe wherever they go

Amid uproar over the Pune bus rape incident, former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud recalled the “Nirbhaya' incident”.

"A lot of changes were made in the laws following the 'Nirbhaya' incident, however, we cannot prevent such incident by only having laws. There is a great responsibility for the society and apart from this the implementation of laws should be there. Laws made for women should be implemented properly,” said the former CJI.

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

He also 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,” he said.

A 26-year-old woman was allegedly raped inside a stationary bus of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) on the premises of Swargate bus depot in Pune early Tuesday.  Police investigating the Pune rape case have formed 13 teams in coordination with the crime branch and offered a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information on the accused.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said he has directed the Pune police commissioner to investigate the case.  In a statement, Pawar, who is the guardian minister of Pune district, said the incident at the Swargate bus station is "painful, infuriating, and shameful", and the accused deserves death penalty.

"The incident of rape at the Swargate bus station is extremely unfortunate, painful, infuriating and shameful to all in civilized society. The crime committed by the accused is unforgivable and there can be no other punishment for him than death. I have directed the Pune police commissioner to personally look into this matter and investigate it and arrest the accused immediately," he said."Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, has also taken this crime seriously and given necessary instructions to the police."

He also assured the "brothers, sisters and mothers in Maharashtra" that the state government will take steps to ensure that the accused is arrested by the police as soon as possible and punished as severely as possible according to the law.

"Instructions have been given to the Minister of Women and Child Development and the Chairperson of the State Women's Commission to provide justice, psychological support, and all possible assistance to the victim," he said.