Kopardi rape and murder case: Death sentence for all 3 convicts

File photo of silent march being carried out in Maharashtra for Kopardi rape and murder case

PUNE: Ahmednagar sessions court awarded death sentence to all the three men convicts on Tuesday in the Kopardi rape and murder case.

Additional Special Judge Suvarna Kevale awarded the death sentence to Jitendra Babulal Shinde, Santosh Gorakh Bhawal and Nitin Gopinath Bhailume.

On November 18, the judge convicted the three men on charges of rape, murder and criminal conspiracy.

A 15-year-old girl was brutally gangraped and murdered by three Dalit men on July 13 2016, at the Kopardi village in the Ahmednagar district. The victim had injuries all the body. According to police, the accused broke her limbs before throttling her.

The incident triggered massive protests by Maratha community at the time, flaring tensions between Marathas and Dalits. 

On October 7, the Ahmednagar Police had filed the charge sheet running into over 350 pages before the court in which the trio was charged under IPC sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape) and relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.