When the Delhi High Court suspended the life sentence of Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao rape case on December 23, 2025, the reaction was swift and visceral.

Though the Supreme Court soon stepped in to stay the order on December 29, 2025, and keep the convicted former legislator in custody, the brief judicial reprieve had already reopened wounds for survivors of sexual violence across the country.

In Assam, where several rape cases over the past decade have exposed deep institutional gaps and social stigma, the High Court’s order was read not as a technical legal move but as a chilling reminder of how fragile justice can be when power enters the courtroom.

For survivors here, the damage was immediate — psychological, emotional and deeply personal.

A Verdict That Travelled Far Beyond Delhi

Kuldeep Singh Sengar’s conviction in 2019 had been widely viewed as a rare instance where political power failed to shield a perpetrator.

The Unnao survivor’s long and harrowing struggle — marked by alleged intimidation, loss of family members and years of court hearings — had turned the case into a symbol of hard-won justice.

The Delhi High Court’s decision to suspend his sentence, even temporarily, unsettled that symbolism.

For survivors in Assam, many of whom are still navigating police stations, trial courts and social hostility, the order reinforced a fear they live with daily: that no conviction is final, and no victory truly secure.

"It Tells Us The Fight Never Really Ends"

In Assam, the trauma of sexual violence rarely ends with filing a complaint.

Survivors from recent rape cases — including the alleged sexual assault at IIT-Guwahati and the gang rape of a minor in Dhing — have spoken publicly about the exhaustion of prolonged legal battles and the pressure exerted by society to remain silent.

One survivor, whose case triggered student protests and national attention, has repeatedly stressed that justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done.

For her, the news from Delhi felt like a setback that went beyond one individual case.

"It tells us the fight never really ends," a women's rights activist working closely with survivors in lower Assam said while speaking to The Story Mug.

"Even after conviction, the survivor is forced to relive the trauma every time a legal order shifts the ground beneath her feet," the activist added.

Families of victims echoed the sentiment. In conservative or semi-rural settings, they say, the mere possibility of an offender’s release — however conditional — reignites fear of retaliation, social boycott and renewed harassment.

The Assam Reality: Justice Under Strain

Assam’s rape cases over the past few years have revealed recurring fault lines: delayed investigations, inadequate forensic support, insensitive questioning and prolonged trials.

Survivors often find themselves battling not just the accused, but an entire ecosystem that questions their character, motives and resilience.

In this context, a High Court order granting relief to a convicted rapist is not seen as an isolated legal event. It becomes part of a larger pattern where survivors feel the burden of proof and perseverance rests disproportionately on them.

Women's groups in Guwahati and Nagaon districts say such developments discourage reporting, especially among minors and economically vulnerable families.

"Why should a girl speak up if she sees that even convictions can be diluted years later?" asked a legal counsellor associated with survivor rehabilitation programmes.

The Cost Of Legal Uncertainty

For survivors and their families, legal uncertainty is itself a form of punishment.

Each appeal, suspension or stay forces them back into the public gaze, reopening memories they are struggling to suppress.

Counsellors working with survivors in Assam say news cycles around such cases often trigger anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress, even among those whose own trials are still underway.

The Unnao survivor’s public expression of distress following the High Court order resonated strongly in Assam.

Many survivors saw in her reaction a mirror of their own fear — that justice can be reversed quietly, without regard for the emotional toll on those who endured the violence.

Law Versus Lived Reality

Legal experts argue that appellate courts must examine convictions strictly through the lens of law. Survivors do not dispute this principle. What troubles them is the absence of transparency and speed.

When judgments lack clear communication or take years to reach finality, survivors feel abandoned by the very system meant to protect them.

Activists in Assam point out that while courts debate legal questions, survivors continue to live in the same neighbourhoods, face the same social scrutiny and bear the same economic consequences of pursuing justice.

What Survivors In Assam Are Asking For

The voices emerging from Assam are not calling for vengeance, but for reform.

Survivors and support groups consistently demand:

• Faster disposal of appeals in sexual offence cases

• Stronger and more visible witness protection mechanisms

• Trauma-informed judicial and police processes

• Clear, accessible reasoning in court orders that affect convictions

Above all, they seek consistency — a justice system that does not oscillate in ways that deepen fear and distrust.

A Fragile Faith

The Supreme Court’s intervention provided temporary relief, but it did not erase the impact of the High Court’s order.

For survivors in Assam, the episode has reinforced a sobering truth: justice is not a destination but a prolonged struggle, vulnerable to reversal and delay.

Many continue to fight — quietly, stubbornly — because they have little choice.

But each high-profile judicial development that appears to favour the powerful risks widening the gap between legal reasoning and lived experience.

Until survivors feel protected not just in verdicts but in everyday life, faith in the justice system will remain fragile — especially in regions where the fight for dignity begins long before the courtroom and continues long after it.

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