Report No. 198

5.10 Delhi Domestic Women's Forum case (SC)(1995):

As compared to statutory provisions, the judicial pronouncements have gone far ahead in protecting the witnesses and more particularly the protection of victim's witness as in the case of a rape. In the Delhi Domestic Working Women's Forum v. Union of India (1995) 1 SCC 14, the Supreme Court, while indicating the broad parameters that can assist the victims of rape, emphasized that in all rape trials "anonymity" of the victims must be maintained as far as necessary so that the name is shielded from the media and public.

The Court also observed that the victims invariably found the trial of an offence of rape trial a traumatic experience. The experience of giving evidence in court has been negative and destructive and the victims have often expressed that they considered the ordeal of facing crossexamination in the criminal trial to be even worse than the rape itself.