New Delhi, Dec 11: Four years after a 20-year-old student of the Delhi University was gangraped in a moving car in Dhaula Kuan, a city court sentenced the lone man arrested to rigorous imprisonment for 14 years.
Noting that the “beastly act of gangrape” deserves no leniency, the court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on convict Ajit Singh Katiyar.
In a 71-page verdict, the court took stern note of the severity of the incident and its effect on the victim. “The act of gangrape on a meek victim is the gravest of all offences. It leaves such a scar on the young victim’s mind that it is difficult to erase the stigma for the rest of her life,” observed Additional Sessions Judge N K Gupta while delivering the sentence.
Dismissing the defence counsel’s plea for clemency on the ground that the accused belongs to a poor family, Gupta said: “In cases like these, one must keep in mind the condition and status of the victim rather than that of the accused. The incident has ruined the victim’s personal life and her career.”
–Agencies