A rapist in Maharashtra has an 81% chance at acquittal, and here are some reasons why. The rape is only the beginning of a long process of a women being robbed of her voice, her volition and her agency.

After a case is registered, she is taken to a registered medical practitioner for medical examination. Under Section 164 A of the CrPC, the consent of the victim is necessary before she is examined. In many cases, the victims are minors or have been brutalised to such an extent that they are in no physical or mental state to give any kind of consent. Often, the police mechanically make the decision, with little or no involvement of the victim or her kin.