Mumbai: A sessions court in Ahmednagar, some 265km from Mumbai, has convicted all three Dalit accused in the brutal rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl in Kopardi village, Karjat, on July 13, 2016.
The crime sent shock waves and sparked protests across Maharashtra.
Additional Special Judge Suvarna Kevale held Jitendra Shinde, Nitin Bhailume and Santosh Bhaval guilty of conspiracy, sexual assault and murder. The court is expected to pronounce the quantum of sentence on November 22. The Maharashtra government has sought the death penalty for the convicts.
The Class IX student had gone to her grandparents’ house nearby and when she was returning the culprits caught her at an isolated location and committed the crime, according to the 350-page charge sheet in the case.
The post mortem indicated that she had been raped and brutally beaten up — her limbs fractured and arms dislocated from shoulders.
The girl’s body had human bite marks all over and had been strangulated.
The brutality of the assault shocked the state and the Maratha community — to which the girl belonged — went on statewide protests.
The victim’s family expressed satisfaction at the outcome of the verdict and said the trio should be given capital punishment.
A fast-track court had on November 9 last year framed charges against the three accused under various sections of Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO).
According to public prosecutor Ujwal Nikam, the entire case was based on circumstantial evidence as there was no eyewitness available.
“The forensic test proved that the blood stains of the victim were found on the clothes of the convicts. The court also accepted this and held the three accused guilty,” Nikam said.
The prosecution said the prime accused, Shinde, had raped and murdered the victim while the other two accused, Bhawal and Bhailume, “conspired” with him in committing the heinous crime.
