INDIA: On Monday, a special court awarded life imprisonment for 3 main convicts including the priest for allegedly raping and then murdering an eight-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua last year.
Six of the seven accused on trial were convicted under multiple provisions of the Ranbir Penal Code, which applies in Jammu and Kashmir.
The three main accused – Deepak Khajuria, Sanji Ram and Parvesh Kumar – were found guilty under various sections under the penal code and were significantly awarded the following sentences:
- Section 376-D (gang rape): Rigorous imprisonment for 25 years plus Rs 50,000 fine
- Section 302 (murder): Life imprisonment and penalty of Rs 1 lakh
- Section 120b (criminal conspiracy): Imprisonment for life plus fine of Rs 50,000
- Section 363 (kidnapping): Rigorous imprisonment for seven years and a fine of Rs 50,000
However, Parvesh Kumar was awarded as an additional punishment under the same code of RPC, in the section 376D/511 of exact imprisonment for 10 years plus Rs 25,000 fine.
While briefing the media outside court number 1 where the hearing took place, the public prosecutor in the case, JK Chopra said, “Our observation is that the three main accused have been sentenced to prison till their death.
The court was asked whether the prison sentences would run concurrently, the Honourable Judge said that the definition of life imprisonment as it was defined would apply in this case.”
Sanji Ram, the chief priest of the temple where the crime took place, Special Police Officer Deepak Khajuria and Parvesh Kumar, who is said to be a friend of Ram’s nephew (who himself is an accused in the case and claims to be a juvenile), were crooked under RPC sections pertaining to kidnapping, murder, criminal conspiracy, gang rape, destruction of evidence and drugging the victim, the lawyers said.
While the three others, Sub-Inspector Anand Dutta, Head Constable Tilak Raj and SPO Surender Verma who were accused of destructing the evidence under Section 201 of the RPC, were awarded sentences of five-year imprisonment plus a fine of Rs 50,000 each.
Ram’s son Vishal Jangotra was acquitted in the case.
In the case, the crime branch of J&K Police had filed the charge sheet against eight persons, including the juvenile. The trial against the juvenile is yet to begin as his petition on determining his age is yet to be heard by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
As per the 15-page charge sheet filed against eight persons, in April last year, the girl was kidnapped on January 10 last year and was raped while she was in captivity in a small village temple, exclusively maintained by Ram, after having been kept sedated on drugs for four days. She was later bludgeoned to death.
