Life imprisonment for Surat rapists
By IANSFriday, February 19, 2010
GANDHINAGAR - Three men charged with raping a 16-year-old girl in Gujarat’s Surat city were sentenced to life imprisonment Friday, with the judge saying the punishment should be “proportionate to the crime”.
The three were held guilty on various counts by the principal district sessions judge R.P. Dolaria. They were also fined Rs.1 lakh each.
“Punishment should be exemplary and proportionate to the crime. It should set a standard in deterring a repetition of such a crime by anyone in the future,” the judge said. The court observed that the accused never showed any remorse during the hearings.
Shahid Saiyed (22), Tariq Saiyed (21) and Abu Bakr (33) were charged with the rape of a Class 12 student on her way to a tuition class on the evening of June 12, 2009. She was abducted and raped her in a moving car. The rape was filmed to blackmail the victim.
