Pune rape case: Survivor demands right to choose her public prosecutor

Pune Swargate bus depot rape survivor demands choice of advocate, transparency in Special Public Prosecutor appointment process.

In the Pune Swargate bus depot rape case, the 26-year-old survivor on Thursday (March 27, 2025) has said that the State government should not impose the Special Public Prosecutor of their choice to defend her case but allow her to choose advocate of her choice. She has demanded the appointment of advocate Asim Sarode as her Special Public Prosecutor to contend the case. 

Also Read | Pune bus rape: Court remands accused Dattatray Gade to judicial custody until March 26

The survivor told The Hindu that on March 17, she had a meeting with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde who expressed their displeasure over her demand to appoint Mr. Sarode to represent her case.  

She has also sent a formal letter on March 20, to the Principal Secretary, Law and Judiciary Department requesting the appointment of Mr. Sarode. 

“In the letter, I have written that male medical officers were appointed to do my medical test despite asking for women medical officers. Male police officers forced me to narrate the intricate details of the sexual assault that I faced. I was also given a list of three advocates to represent my case without consulting about my legal representation,” she said.  

In her letter, the survivor has also written that the accused, Dattatray Gade raped her twice and attempted unnatural sexual assault for the third time but could not succeed as she fought back and fled the crime scene.  

“In the entire process of repeating and describing the sexual abuse that happened to me, where am I in it? In the first week of March, I had also requested to the Commissioner of Police, Pune to pass a restraining order against those who have been making character assassination statements against the survivors like me, but no such order has been passed yet,” the survivor said.