Summaries

Synopsis

The 1992 Ajmer rape case involved the serial gangrape and blackmailing of school and college-aged girls in Ajmer, Rajasthan. The perpetrators were a group of young men led by Farooq and Nafis Chishty, members of the influential Khadim family that oversaw the caretaking of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah. Over the course of multiple years, ending in 1992, victims were lured into a remote farmhouse or bungalow, where they were sexually assaulted by one or several of the men. Additionally, the perpetrators took nude or otherwise revealing photographs of their victims, which were used as blackmail to prevent the women from speaking out.

The story of the scandal came to light with an article published with pictures by Dainik Navajyoti, a local newspaper, which detailed the events of the crimes, and featured some of the images taken by the rapists. Simultaneously, police launched an inquiry into the scandal. It has been reported that local authorities were aware of the events up to a year prior, but chose to stall taking legal action.

In September 1992, 18 serial offenders were charged in court. The first eight to go to trial were sentenced to life in prison; however, four of them were later acquitted by the Rajasthan High Court in 2001. In 2007, a fast track court in Ajmer convicted Farooq Chishti, but in 2013, the High Court released him on time served.

"The accused were in a position of influence, both socially and financially, and that made it even more difficult to persuade the girls to come forward and depose," says retired Rajasthan D.G.P. Omendra Bhardwaj, who was then posted as the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Ajmer. The Supreme Court noted in this case, "Unfortunately many of the victims who appeared as witnesses turned hostile and one can appreciate the reason why they did not want to depose against the appellants as that would have exposed them as well, and would have adversely affected their future life."