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Dnyanesh Jathar
Dnyanesh Jathar

Maharashtra crime

Sense of closure: Parents of Kopardi victim thank judiciary after sentencing

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"Our daughter got justice. I want to thank (judge) Kevale madam. We always had faith in the judiciary." These were the words of the father of a teenage girl who was raped and murdered in a village in Maharashtra in July 2016 after he heard a sessions court judge impose the death sentence on all three accused in the case on Wednesday.

The killing of the 15-year-old girl in Kopardi in Ahmednagar district had sparked caste outrage across Maharashtra; the victim was from the Maratha community. When judge Suvarna Kevale read out the sentence, the parents of the girl were seated in the first row in the courtroom.

The father spoke to THE WEEK from Ahmednagar. At first, he was reluctant to talk, saying you must have heard what he already told the news channels. "Everyone supported us. Chief Minister (Devendra) Fadnavis, lawyer Ujjwal Nikam, (spiritual leader) Bhaiyuji Maharaj, the entire community and the people of Maharashtra stood behind us. We are thankful to everyone of them," he said.

The school-going girl was raped and murdered on July 13, 2016. Police made the first arrest two days later when they apprehended Jitendra Shinde from Shrigonda. The other two accused—Santosh Bhaval and Nitin Bhailume—were arrested subsequently on July 16 and 17. All three accused were sentenced to death under Sections 302 and 309 of the IPC. After the accused had been pronounced guilty, the arguments over quantum of punishment were held on November 22 and the sentence was announced on Wednesday.

As soon as the sentence was announced, the girl's mother burst into tears. She said that she was satisfied that her daughter got justice and thanked the judiciary and investigating agencies. "I remember my daughter every Saturday," she told a Marathi news channel.

The case had triggered a wave of rallies by Maratha groups. One of the main demands at each of these rallies, led from the front by girls and women from the Maratha community, was imposition of the death penalty for the accused.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, NCP founder and former union minister Sharad Pawar and Bhaiyuji Maharaj had all visited the girl's family. Fadnavis had assured the family of conducting a speedy trial and eminent lawyer Ujjwal Nikam was appointed as special public prosecutor.

Interacting with mediapersons, Nikam said, "The prime accused Shinde has been convicted and fined for committing the offences of molestation, rape and brutal murder, while the other two, Bhawal and Bhailume, provoked him (Shinde), encouraged, conspired and abetted in the crimes."

(with agency inputs)

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Topics : #rape | #Maharashtra

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