Three accused convicted in Kopardi rape case

Arguments on quantum of sentence to be heard on November 21, 22

Awaiting sentence: Family members and relatives of the accused outside the sessions court in Ahmednagar on Saturday.

Ahmednagar: A sessions court on Saturday convicted three men for raping and murdering a 15-year-old girl in Kopardi village in 2016.

Additional Special Judge Suvarna Kevale held Jitendra Babulal Shinde, Santosh Gorakh Bhawal and Nitin Gopinath Bhailume guilty of rape, murder and criminal conspiracy. The victim, who belonged to the Maratha community, was found murdered after being raped on July 13 at Kopardi village in Ahmednagar district. The accused had inflicted injuries all over her body and broken her limbs before throttling her, the police said.

The incident became a trigger for the silent marches (

mook morcha ) by the Marathas across the State as the victim belonged to the community, while the culprits are Dalits. The marches, joined by a large number of women, demanding a quick investigation and speedy trial in the case. It also created strong political ripples, with the Congress and NCP demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on moral grounds.

Ujjwal Nikam, the Special Public Prosecutor in the case, said, “Since there was no eyewitness in the case, the entire case was based on circumstantial evidence. We succeeded in proving the chain of circumstances which led to the conviction of all the three people.” The argument on the quantum of punishment from the defence will be heard on November 21 and on the next day, he said.

Give them death: parents

Reacting to the verdict, the victim’s parents said the convicts should be given capital punishment. “We waited for a long time, and today the court held all the three men guilty. To send a stern message to the society, the convicts should be awarded death so that no one will dare commit such an act,” the girl’s mother said. The victim’s father, a farmer, added, “The entire Maratha community feels the convicts should get nothing less than the death sentence.”

The charge sheet in the case, filed by the Ahmednagar police, ran into over 350 pages in which the three accused were charged under IPC sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.