5 Given Death Penalty for Rape of Minor, 3 Murders

A court in Chhattisgarh has sentenced to death five men for the gang-rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl along with the murder of two of her family members in 2021, holding that the crime shocked the collective conscience of society.

- HT Correspondent

RAIPUR:

The fast-track special court in Korba district sentenced to death Santram Manjhwar (49), Abdul Jabbar (34), Anil Kumar Sarthi (24), Pardeshi Ram (39) and Anand Ram Panika (29) and handed a life sentence to the sixth accused, Umashankar Yadav (26).

Additional sessions judge Mamta Bhojwani, delivering the judgment on January 15, held that this inhuman and cruel act of the accused is extremely perverted, heinous, brutal and cowardly. The judgment was made available on Monday.

Special public prosecutor Sunil Kumar Mishra said the accused were convicted under sections pertaining to murder and gang rape, among others of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.