To Die or Not to Die: Aruna Shanbaug

The case that we have for you today is as much about the crime as what happened next, about death as much as life. It is about morality as much as ethics, as much about the society we seek to create as much as the punishment it doles out to those who threaten it. This case will come to be discussed for generations of Indian law students. It is the story of a 25-year-old nurse just seeking to make a difference, help those in need, and live a normal, happy life. And then, on the night of 27th November 1973, the actions of one man changed this woman’s life forever and pushed her into a 42-year-long nightmare. This is the story of a case that moved India and moved the world. This is the story of Aruna Shanbaug.