AP Singh, the lawyer who defended the accused in the 2012 Nirbhaya’s gangrape and murder case, will now be defending the four accused in the Hathras gang-rape case.
As per the constitution, it is the duty of the government to ensure an accused is represented by a lawyer in the court. Hence, as per the constitutional guidelines, every accused is entitled to get a lawyer of her or his choice. It is no different for the four accused in the Hathras case. AP Singh, the lawyer who defended the Nirbhaya rape accused will also be defending the four accused in the Hathras gang-rape case.
During the Nirbhaya trial, AP Singh’s disturbing statements earned him a peculiar reputation. He made controversial statements not only to delay the judiciary process but also to shame the victim and her family.
From character assassination of Nirbhaya to insulting her mother, here are AP Singh’s 5 disturbing comments that he made during the Nirbhaya trial left many angered and baffled:
#1: What She Was Doing With Male Friend Late In Night
In 2013, the Nirbahaya case trial began in the Saket court of Delhi. AP Singh, who was defending the two of the accused, questioned the character of the rape victim – Nirbhaya by asking what she was doing with a male friend late in the night.
Later in an interview, he defended his courtroom behavior saying,
“Should I not ask what the girl was doing with the boy so late at night?
It is part of evidence. I wasn’t saying they had a brother-sister relationship or they were out to celebrate rakhi. All I said was that they are friends. Now in their society, boyfriend-girlfriend relation must be laudable, but not in the culture I come from.”
His defense led to an outcry against him on social media and even on the streets.
#2: Why Mother Didn’t Know Where Her Daugther Was
But after losing the case after 7 long years, Nirbhaya’s rapists’ lawyer, Advocate AP Singh made a heartbreaking statement that angered many of us. He ended up blaming Nirbhaya’s parents as he made derogatory statements about Nirbhaya’s character. He asked Nirbhaya’s mother,
“Raat ke sade barah baje tak kyun nahi pata tha ki tumhari beti kahan hai?”
(Translation: Why you didn’t know where was your daughter at 12:30 am in the night?)
#3: Making Fun Of The Protest Of Her Parents Seeking Justice
AP Singh even mocked the protests being held across the country seeking justice for Nirbhaya after she was gang-raped and murdered brutally. While explaining that he accepted to defend the accused on his mother’s insistence, he mocked the candle marches being held for Nirbhaya:
“My parents are simple people, extremely spiritual. They didn’t watch TV, so didn’t have much idea about the protests, Jantar Mantar, Ramlila Maidan, mombatti, dhoop batti, agar batti…” he said mocking the candle marches being held for the victim.
#4: Character Assassination Of The Rape Victim
During the trial, once he told the waiting journalists outside the court:
“If my daughter or sister engaged in pre-marital sex and disgraced herself and allowed herself to lose face and character by doing such things, I would most certainly take this sort of sister or daughter to my farmhouse, and in front of my entire family, I would put petrol on her and set her on fire.“
#5: Challenging Victim’s Family That They Will Never Get Justice
Nirbhaya’s mother who had been fighting for justice for seven years said in January this year that AP Singh challenged her that she would never be able to get the convicts hanged for years. She told journalists this:
“The lawyer of the convicts has challenged me that their execution [hanging] will not happen for an indefinite period.“
Though AP Singh has all the right to defend his clients, what troubles us are his views on women and their freedom of being in a relationship of their choice. At IFORHER, we are heartbroken with what Nirbhaya’s family had to go through to seek justice for their daughter.
