The Mumbai Sessions court on Thursday March 20,2014 held all the adult men accused in
Shakti Mills gang rape cases of 2013, guilty of the crime.
All the five accused were found guilty under section 376(d) of the IPC
for gang rape and other sections including wrongful restraint, criminal
intimidation and sections under the IT act.
On August 22, a photo journalist and her male colleague had visited the
ruined mills in Central Mumbai as a part of their assignment. Finding
them alone , the accused initially offered to help them navigate the
mill compound but later threatened to book them for trespassing a
railway property. The accused then tied the male friend with a belt and
took turns in raping her. During the incident the girl had received
calls from her mother and her boss.
The Mumbai police managed to solve the case within 24 hours by arresting
a 17-year-old minor accused from his residence in Central Mumbai.
Within a week all the other accused were arrested.
Two weeks after the incident, an 18-year-old came forward to register a
police complaint alleging that she too was gang-raped by five men,
including three of the arrested accused at that very location, just
three weeks earlier.
The Mumbai police filed two different chargesheets in the case. But with
both the cases bearing similarities, the Mumbai Sessions court in
October last year clubbed the two cases.
While the 5 adult accused, of which 3 are common in the two gang
rape cases, were tried in the Mumbai Sessions court , the 2 juvenile
accused are being tried in the Juvenile Justice court, which does treat
them as 'accused' but juvenile in conflict with law.
Maharashtra home minister, RR Patil, who was present at the time of the
verdict, told the press: “The judgement was delivered in record time. We
welcome the verdict.” “Mumbai prides itself in being a safe city for
women. This verdict will be a deterrent”, he added.
During her deposition on October 17, 2013, the photojournalist fainted
in court, while on October 30, 2013, the victim in the second gang rape
case, during her deposition sought permission from the court to beat up
the accused. Her request was however turned down.
Time line of the Shakti mills gang rape cases
August 22, 2013: City photojournalist gang raped by five men at Mumbai’s Shakti Mills Compound. She was accompanied by a male colleague.
August 23: The Mumbai police solve the case with the arrest of a 17 year old accused. The rest of the accused are arrested in a week.
September 3: An 18 year-old-girl complains she was also gang
raped at Shakti Mills by 5 men (including three accused in the previous
case) on July 13th, 2013.
September 19: The Mumbai police file a chargesheet in the photojournalist case.
October 8: The Mumbai police file a chargesheet in the second case, request the court to club both the cases.
October 17: – The photojournalist faints in court during her deposition.
October 30: The survivor of the second case during her deposition seeks permission from the court to beat up the accused.
March 5, 2014 - The accused record their statements in court, deny allegations
Life Sentence to Convicts of Shakti Mills Gangrape Case Friday March 21,2014
Four convicts in the Shakti Mills telecom operator gangrape case were on
Friday March 21,2014 sentenced to life imprisonment by a Mumbai court.
The court,
meanwhile, adjourned the hearing on the quantum of punishment to the
convicts in the photojournalist gangrape case till March 24,2014
A total of 7 persons including 2 minors, were arrested in connection with the two gangrapes involving a telephone operator and a photojournalist in July-August 2013.
3 of the convicts are common to both the cases.
Principal sessions court judge Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi convicted -
while Siraj Khan was found guilty in the photojournalist gangrape case (on August 22) and
Mohammad Ashfaque Shaikh, in the telephone operator gangrape case on July 31 ,2013
Two minors, one in each case, are being tried by the Juvenile Justice Board separately.
A total of 7 persons including 2 minors, were arrested in connection with the two gangrapes involving a telephone operator and a photojournalist in July-August 2013.
3 of the convicts are common to both the cases.
Principal sessions court judge Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi convicted -
- Vijay Jadhav(19)
- Mohammad Qasim Hafiz Shaikh alias Kasim Bengali(21)and
- Mohammad Ansari( 28)
while Siraj Khan was found guilty in the photojournalist gangrape case (on August 22) and
Mohammad Ashfaque Shaikh, in the telephone operator gangrape case on July 31 ,2013
Two minors, one in each case, are being tried by the Juvenile Justice Board separately.
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