The soul of a nation is reflected in how it treats its most vulnerable. In India, we claim to be a society where children are to be worshipped, protected, and nurtured. We pass laws with the highest of intentions—the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, amendments to the Indian Penal Code, and fast-track courts for child abuse cases. Yet, when the highest court of the land, led by the Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, suspends the 20-year sentence of Father Edwin Pigarez—a man convicted of repeatedly raping a minor girl—it sends a chilling message: in India, even the most heinous crimes can find relief when they reach the echelons of judicial discretion.

This is not just a legal decision. It is a moral earthquake.

Father Edwin Pigarez, entrusted with the sacred duty

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