‘Verdict tells offenders they can walk free after committing worst crimes’

The Supreme Court has acquitted Chandrabhan Sanap accused of raping and murdering a 23yearold software engineer in Kanjurmarg in January 2014 and dumping her burnt body in the bushes near the Eastern Express Highway The victimrsquos family devastated by the verdict expressed a deep sense of betrayaland hopelessnessldquoThis judgment tells offenders they can commit the most heinous crimes and still walk free We feel completely let downmdashitrsquos as if justice is no longer for the victimsrdquo the victimrsquos uncle told middayAfter Sanap was booked in 2014 for the rape and murder of the software engineer in Mumbai a special womenrsquos court sentenced him to death He appealed the verdict in the Bombay High Court which upheld the penalty Later the accused moved the Supreme CourtOn Tuesday more than a decade after the crime the apex court directed the Maharashtra government to release Sanap stating that ldquohe is not guilty of the offence hence acquittedrdquo The court cited significant lapses in evidence and procedural shortcomings as reasons for overturning the convictionReacting to the verdict the victimrsquos uncle said ldquoWe are not even asking the court to hang him for the grievous crime he committed But leaving him scotfree after what he did to our daughter Thatrsquos unbelievable and heartbreaking as a family member Our daughter was raped murdered burnt and the high court had categorised this as a lsquorarest of the rare casersquo Yet the Supreme Court has acquitted him Itrsquos an insult to injury a complete dismissal of our pain over losing her Most importantly itrsquos a green signal to all accused out there who will now think they can commit gruesome crimes and easily walk back into societyrdquoHe added ldquoThe Mumbai Police under Commissioner Rakesh Maria at the time did a commendable job tracing the accused after months of investigation Evidence including the TCS ID card was recovered from the accused and yet the Supreme Court says there are loopholes in the evidence The government should stop using slogans like lsquoBeti Bachaorsquo because itrsquos meaningless on the ground We have lost our beti and she is never coming back His conviction would have been a testament to ensuring such horrors donrsquot happen to other daughtersrdquoThe family is now considering filing a review petition though they admit the process is emotionally and mentally taxing ldquoItrsquos not easymdashlosing our daughter fighting for justice for over a decade hearing such a verdict and now trying to stay strong to fight back again But we are thinking of meeting with our lawyer to discuss filing a review petitionrdquo the victimrsquos uncle added23Age of the victimCase backgroundOn January 16 2014 the victims partially burned and decomposed body was discovered near the Eastern Express Highway Investigations revealed that the 23yearold software engineer had been travelling from Vijayawada to Mumbai and had arrived at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus LTT railway station on January 5 The autopsy report stated that she died from head injuries smothering and genital traumaAfter two months of rigorous investigation police traced and arrested Chandrabhan Sanap who was charged under IPC sections 302 murder 376 rape and 201 causing the disappearance of evidence According to the police Sanap intending to rob the woman posed as a cab driver offering to drop her at her hostel in Andheri He then told her he had a bike not a car and convinced her to trust him When she hesitated he grabbed her bag and placed it on his bike after which she gave in and decided to travel with him according to the police investigation