A brutal gang rape in India has drawn comparisons to the 2012 Delhi bus attack, prompting a group of British lawyers to call for UK-funded judicial reform. The victim, a 26-year-old physiotherapy student, was attacked on 10 September in a moving bus in Jharkhand state, assaulted with a metal rod, and thrown from the vehicle. She is in critical condition.
The case echoes the 2012 murder of Jyoti Singh, which sparked nationwide protests and legal changes. British lawyers, led by human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson, have written to the Foreign Office urging the UK to fund reform of India’s judicial system, citing delays in prosecution and lenient sentencing. They argue that UK aid, redirected from development programmes, could fund fast-track courts and witness protection.
The Indian government has rejected the proposal, stressing sovereignty and noting existing measures including life sentences for repeat offenders. The attack has revived debate on women’s safety in India, where official data show 33,000 rapes were reported in 2020. Analysts caution that systemic change requires political will rather than external funding.
