Reacting to the recent gruesome Hathras gang rape, former Supreme Court judge, Markandey Katju in a Facebook post said that rising unemployment in the country is one of the reasons behind increase in rape cases.
Katju said that a large number of young men in the country remain unmarried due to unemployment, resulting in rise in rape cases. However, he has strongly condemned the crime, and demanded harshest punishment for the culprits.
Read the entire post below:
"I condemn the Hathras gang rape, and call for harsh punishment of the culprits.
However, having said that there is one aspect which also needs to be considered.
Sex is a natural urge in men. It is sometimes said that after food, the next requirement is sex.
In a conservative society like India, one can ordinarily have sex only through marriage. But when there is massive and rising unemployment, a large number of young men cannot marry ( as no girl will ordinarily marry an unemployed man ). Consequently a large number of young men remain deprived of sex, even though they have reached an age when it is a normal requirement.
The population of undivided India before 1947 was about 42 crores. Today India alone has about 135 crore people, which means there has been a fourfold increase in population. But the number of jobs increased are far less than fourfold. In fact it is believed that in June 2020 alone 12 crore Indians lost their jobs. Therefore will there not be increase in rapes ?
I once again make it clear that I am not justifying rapes, rather I condemn it. But considering the situation prevailing in the country they are bound to increase.
So if we really want to end or reduce rapes we have to create a social and economic system in India in which there is no or little unemployment.
I reiterate, I condemn the gang rape, and call for harshest punishment of the culprits. (sic)"