A sessions court on Monday convicted the last accused, Raju, in the infamous National Law School of India University (NLSIU) student rape case that took place on October 12, 2012 in the Jnanabharati campus of the Bangalore University.
In September 2013, a Fast Track court had sentenced Shivanna (20), Yellaiah (23), Eeraiah (20), Doddeera (19), Maddura (20) and Rama (20) to life imprisonment. A juvenile, who was also nabbed in the case, was tried under the Juvenile Justice Act.
However Raju, from Ramanagaram, who was then 24-year-old, was absconding after the incident. He was caught in September 2013. “His trial started in 2014 and a total of 33 witnesses were examined out of the 52 listed. On Monday, judge Rajeshwari Hegde of court hall 55 convicted him to life imprisonment,” said public prosecutor S.N. Hiremani.
According to him, Raju was involved in cutting of sandalwood trees and waylaying people who came into the Bangalore University campus. “Raju was identified by the victim and also by an eyewitness. He has been accused of raping the woman and also robbing her,” he added.
Among the crucial evidences was a sweater which was seized from the accused. The mud from the sweater matched the sample taken from the scene of crime. All the accused belong to a particular tribe from Dasegowdana Doddi in Ramanagaram taluk.
The incident took place when the victim, a second year student of NLSIU, had gone with her friend to the secluded wooded area about 2 km from Gandhi Bhavan around 10 p.m. After some time, eight men, allegedly in an inebriated state, spotted the couple and threatened them with dire consequences if they did not hand over the valuables.
The police said that some of the gang members allegedly threatened the couple with rods and later gang raped the woman.
