CJI Gavai on ’79 rape ruling: ‘Moment of institutional embarrassment’

Chief Justice of India BR Gavai called the Supreme Court’s 1979 rape ruling a “moment of institutional embarrassment.” He acknowledged the verdict, which acquitted policemen by citing the victim’s “consent” due to lack of physical resistance, as a failure. This judgment, however, sparked nationwide protests, igniting the women’s rights movement and leading to crucial legal reforms.