Aurangabad, Jan 15:
The special court judge Sanjay Kulkarni has awarded 20 years rigorous imprisonment (RI) to three accused on charge of raping a 22-year-old married woman in Mukundwadi area, more than three years ago. The punishment has been made under Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The three accused are identified as Sagar Subhash Butte (20), Anil Ambadas Dukale (26) and Umesh Uttam Dukale (22), all residents of different lanes in Jaibhavaninagar.
It so happened that the above married woman was waiting for transportation at Jaibhavaninagar Chowk on October 5, 2017, at 8 pm. The three accused came in an autorickshaw (bearing number MH20 EF 0572) and assured her of dropping at Mukundwadi Railway Station. While on the way, they told her of filling gas in the auto. Hence they drove the vehicle towards Ramkathi. They took her to an isolated area. When she resisted, they beat her with a steel rod and then gang-raped her. They also threatened her of dire consequences if she informs anybody about the incident.
Acting upon the complaint, the police arrested them. They were booked under various sections and sub-sections of IPC and SC&ST (PoA) Act. Later on, the accused were sent to magisterial custody remand (MCR). During the case, the government lawyer cross-examined the statements of 10 eye-witnesses in the case. The doctors report mentioning the presence of 14 injuries on her body after the incident proved very important. Based on the evidence, the court slapped the above punishment. The special judge also ordered to collect a fine of Rs 99,000 from the accused and give it to the victim. The special government pleader Madhukar Aher represented on behalf of the government.