Archive · 5 Oct 2026
Rajkummar Rao Calls for Harsher Punishment for Convicted Rapists
Rajkummar Rao spoke at a panel about women’s safety and punishment for rape.
He said rape cases should be heard quickly in fast-track courts.
He also said people found guilty of rape should be hanged.
Rao believes severe punishment could make others think twice before committing such crimes.
Public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam agreed that strong punishment can discourage crime.
Nikam said these trials should be treated as a top priority and that the government should provide the needed court facilities.
Actor Wamiqa Gabbi said women have discussed safety for years, but it still is not being treated as a priority.
The panel was held for a film about Nikam’s legal work.
At a Yuvaa panel, Rajkummar Rao said rape cases should be heard in fast-track courts.
Rao said rapists should be hanged after they are proven guilty, describing rape as a heinous crime.
He argued that the threat of severe punishment could deter people from committing rape, comparing it with heavier traffic fines.
Public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam supported deterrent punishment and said trials should receive top priority, with government-provided infrastructure.
Actor Wamiqa Gabbi said women’s safety has not been made a priority despite years of discussion and protest.
- Who
- Actor Rajkummar Rao, public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and actor Wamiqa Gabbi spoke at a Yuvaa panel.
- What
- They discussed women’s safety, fast-track rape trials and punishment for convicted rapists; Rao called for hanging after guilt is proven.
- When
- The article does not state when the panel took place; the film Prahaar is scheduled to release on 16 October.
- Where
- New Delhi.
- Why
- The panel discussed women’s safety and what could be done to make the country safer.
Support for deterrent punishment
Women’s safety and implementation concerns
Punishment and deterrence
Support for deterrent punishment
Rao called for hanging people proven guilty of rape, arguing that fear of severe punishment could deter crime; Nikam also supported deterrent punishment.
Women’s safety and implementation concerns
The article offers no direct disagreement with the proposed punishment; Gabbi’s remarks instead stressed that women’s safety remains neglected despite years of discussion.
Priorities and action
Support for deterrent punishment
Nikam said rape trials should be taken up as a top priority and that the government must provide the necessary infrastructure.
Women’s safety and implementation concerns
Gabbi said the solutions are known, but people in power have not made women’s safety a priority.
- Event
- Yuvaa panel for Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam
- Rao’s position
- Fast-track rape trials and hanging for people proven guilty
- Nikam’s position
- Deterrent punishment and top-priority trials, supported by government infrastructure
- Gabbi’s concern
- Women’s safety has not been made a priority
- Film subject
- Ujjwal Nikam’s legal battles involving the 1993 Bombay bombings and 2008 Mumbai attacks
- Release date
- 16 October