An Ahmednagar court on Wednesday awarded death sentence to three men for the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl in Maharashtra’s Kopardi village in 2016 that triggered statewide protests. Jitendra Babulal Shinde, 25, Santosh Gorakh Bhaval, 30, and Nitin Gopinath Bhailume, 23, were sentenced to death for rape, murder and criminal conspiracy, special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said. The girl, a Class 9 student, was raped and murdered on July 13, 2016 in Ahmednagar district’s at Kopardi village, 120km from Pune. On July 13, 2016, the three were moving around on their motorcycles to keep a watch on the girl, Nikam said. The protests forced the government to appoint noted criminal lawyer Nikam, who has appeared in several high-profile cases including the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, as the special public prosecutor.

Source: Hindustan Times November 29, 2017 06:33 UTC