Panipat court awards 20-year jail to three in gangrape case

A fast-track court in Panipat on Monday sentenced three men to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, holding them guilty of a gang rape committed on November 27, 2021, when the victim was returning home from a factory.

The three men -- Vikas alias Chhotu; Mohit alias Chotti and Shashi alias Pandu-- hail from village Binjhol, Police Station Model Town, Panipat.

Even though the DNA of the two accused Vikas and Mohit had matched with the DNA retrieved from the clothes and cotton swabs of the victim, the counsel for the accused had submitted that the victim did not identify the accused (Vikas and Mohit) in her cross-examination.

“Admittedly, the victim has fully supported the case of the prosecution in her examination–in–chief, however, in cross-examination, she has dithered qua accused Vikas and Mohit,” reads the court order that runs over 40 pages.

As per the case on November 27, 2021, when the victim was returning home from the factory at around 5:30 pm, the three men, namely, Vikas, Mohit and Shashi, overpowered her. They pushed the victim into a trench, disrobed her and violated her one by one. They kept her confined to that ditch for nearly two and half hours and raped her. Thereafter, they escorted her to a deserted place adjacent to a Mandir towards Gohana road and raped her again.

“So, after weighing the overall circumstances, this court is of the view that convicts Vikas, Mohit, and Shashi do not deserve any leniency and administration of justice will be met if the convicts... are sentenced as under...,” stated Gagandeep Mittal, additional sessions judge (fast track court), Panipat, while sentencing the three convicted trio to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment.

However, the trio claimed to be victims in the case. Accused Vikas further deposed that the victim was well-known to him and that police had falsely planted medical evidence against them, and no such incident as alleged in the FIR ever took place.

However, the court disagreed.

“The unfortunate victim had no option but to surrender before the accused. The circumstances clearly insinuate the reason for the victim’s insouciance and inaction. The prosecution has been able to prove the charges of Sections 323, 376-D and 506 of IPC beyond pale of doubts,” the court ruled.

As per order the counsels for the accused Vikas and Mohit: “Victim has not identified accused Vikas and Mohit in her cross-examination. She has even doubted the presence of the accused at the place of occurrence.”

The order states that “this court is not swayed with this contention because the worth of this chunk of cross-examination of the victim has already been discussed by this court... of this judgment”, holding Vikas, Mohit and Shashi guilty under Sections 323, 379-B, 506 r/w Section 34 and 376-D of IPC.

14 awarded life sentence for murder

KARNAL: The Panipat district court on Monday awarded life imprisonment to 14 people after convicting them of murder in Chhajpur village of the district. Announcing the judgment, the court of additional sessions judge Amit Garg also slapped ₹1.75 lakh fine on each convict namely, Jagdish, Rajesh, Tejpal, Ravit, Sumit, Sunder, Vikas, Sunil, Rinku, Sachin, Deepak, Joginder, Ankush, and Sanjay, all residents of Chhajpur village in Panipat district.

As per the police investigation, the accused were booked under sections 148, 302, and 307 of the IPC. As per the FIR, the incident took place on June 12, 2016, when the accused attacked Bhajji and Hari of Chhajpur village with weapons, leaving both of them badly injured. Later on June 14, 2016, the victim Hari succumbed to his injuries. The family members had alleged that the accused had murdered Hari over a panchayati land dispute. The court has also acquitted two persons, Sunil and Jony, in this case for lack of evidence.