5 sentenced to life for rape of minor girl on Navratri in Gujarat after two years; each fined ₹50,000
The incident of gangrape occurring during Navratri, a festival dedicated to Goddess Amba, cannot be treated lightly, the court observed, as per the prosecution.
A special POCSO court in Gujarat sentenced five men to life imprisonment for the gang rape of a minor girl on a Navratri night, two years after the incident occurred. The court deemed the crime as the most heinous, as reported by the prosecution. Each of the men was fined ₹50,000, and the government was ordered to pay ₹10 lakh in compensation to the survivor, according to special public prosecutor Nayan Sukhadwala.
The court emphasized the importance of women in society and the severity of gang rape against a woman or minor. The five accused, identified as Mumtaz, Ajmal, Munna Banjara, Saif and Shahrukh, aged between 25 to 30 years, were convicted on August 20 on charges of gangrape, destruction of evidence and dacoity. The incident took place on October 4, 2024, during Navratri, when a 16-year-old victim was out with her male friend in Vadodara's Laxmipura area.
Five men intercepted them on an isolated road at around midnight, and the victim was gang-raped while her friend was restrained. The court acknowledged the strong evidence presented and the gravity of the act, resulting in the life imprisonment of the accused and the compensation to the survivor.
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