Rape is morally and physically most reprehensible crime in society – SC

A bench of justices B S Chauhan and Dipak Misra  has observed as follows in  CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 2322 of 2010 dated 20.05.2013 :-

 Rape is the most morally and physically reprehensible crime in a  society, as it is an assault on the body,  mind  and  privacy  of  the victim. While a murderer destroys the physical frame of the victim,  a rapist degrades and defiles the  soul  of  a  helpless  female.

Rape reduces a woman to an animal, as it shakes the very core of her  life.  By no means can a rape victim be called an accomplice. Rape  leaves  a    permanent scar on the life of the victim, and therefore a rape  victim  is placed on a higher pedestal than an  injured  witness.  Rape  is  a  crime against the entire society and violates the human rights of  the victim.

Being the most hated crime, rape tantamounts to a serious blow to the supreme honour of a woman, and offends  both,  her  esteem  and  dignity. It causes psychological and  physical  harm  to  the  victim,  leaving upon her indelible marks.