RAJIV SHAKDHER, J.

1. 16 December, 2012 once again heightened the sense of insecurity which women of this city and perhaps in most parts of this country carry in their sub conscious mind. A young lady was raped and mauled in a moving bus and left to die on the street, without a stitch of cloth on herself. Her companion was brutalized and beaten when, he attempted to intervene.

2. The news of this heinous and dastardly act spread like wild fire. There was revulsion and disgust at the sheer bestiality of the act.

3. People spilled out on roads, in spontaneous groups. Some came to express solidarity with the young lady (who at that point of time was battling for her life), some to express their disapproval at the ineffectiveness of the State apparatus and others to exhort the administration, to deal sternly with the perpetrators of the crime.

4. There were impassioned debates on these and various other aspects, connected with crime against women in the print and electronic media. The social media was not far behind. Views were expressed by all and Sundry, from the experts to lay people. Views ranged from opinions on what should have been done, to what ought to have been done. An