Jethmalani’s “disease”?

Senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani is known to wear several hats; besides being a distinguished lawyer, he has dabbled in politics with indeterminate results. He has now discovered a disease that the world had never before even imagined: Women suffer from a “chronic disease which draws them to men”. No, he is not referring to the biological urge for procreation; he implies that somehow women seek, if not invite, rape.

He is defending godman Asaram Bapu in a case of alleged rape of a minor girl. He, however, was careful enough to submit before the Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday that “this (discovery) is subject to police investigation”. As the defense lawyer, Jethmalani was well within his rights to argue that “the age of the girl as well as the entire case (against Asaram) is fabricated”. The wisdom, or the lack of it, in the arguments is best left to be judged by the high court which has deferred hearing on the bail plea of the godman. But the arguments have already caused national outrage; Twitter is packed with incisive comments.

Celebrated Bengali writer Taslima Nasreen, who has been the target of male chauvinists in India, has quipped: “Girl has disease that draws her to men; then men rape her to cure her of the disease”. By Jethmalani’s logic no rapist should be punished because he has committed no offence but only rendered human service; probably what the doctor advised but could not cure and left it to criminal lawyers to cure. On Wednesday, the media reported that in Ranchi, Jharkhand, a 12-year-old girl had committed suicide on being forced to marry her rapist.