Imrana Wins Against All Odds

The word ‘Justice’ in the Indian context has been twisted and molded by the ones with power and money for many years now. A regular citizen is continuously made a mockery off or a scapegoat by our judiciary system and its enforcers. In today’s day-an-age where an educated person is so easily twisted and broken in the web-of-law, one cannot even begin to imagine the struggle of an illiterate women hailing from a small village in UP. Many in her situation would have either bottled up the pain or easily succumbed to the pressure of those responsible for her ordeal.

But Imrana chose to take her destiny in her own hands and fight for her sanity. She was not only up against her own people but also defied the ruling of a Muslim community panchayat who had asked Imrana (a mother of five children) to treat her rapist as her husband. They declared her marriage with Nur Ilahi as haraam or illegal, since the rapist was her father in-law.

Finally after a year-long struggle, her courageous act paid off. A Muzaffarnagar district court yesterday convicted Ali Mohammad of the charge of raping his daughter-in-law Imrana and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment. The judge also directed 70-year-old Mohammed to pay a compensation of Rs. 8,000 to his daughter-in-law. On a separate charge of criminal intimidation, he was sentenced to three years in prison and fined Rs. 3,000.

Indian Express reports:

District judge R D Nimesh ordered that Imrana be paid Rs 8,000 from the Rs 10,000 penalty imposed on Ali Mohammed.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board welcomed the verdict and said the stand taken by some clerics that Imrana should have married her father-in-law was against the tenets of Islam.

Khalid Rashid, a member of the AIMPLB, said: “According to the AIMPLB and the Sharia, the victim cannot marry a person who has raped her. No one can accept such a fatwa.”

After the court order today, Ali Mohammed said he would appeal. Some local clerics again demanded that Imrana’s husband should desert her.

Well it seems that the positive decision taken in the Priyadarshini Mattoo Case has had a rippling effect on the Indian Judiciary. Though I can’t help but wonder - Is couple of years in prison, a worthy decision for a rapist in comparison to a life-long emotional scare forced on the one who is raped?

Hopefully we will get to see many more optimistic verdicts which will not only help restore our faith in the justice system but also encourage many others to raise their voice against the guilty ones.

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