HC confirms life term for four in gang-rape case

Crime against Dalit woman took place in 2015

The Madras High Court has confirmed the conviction and life sentence imposed by a trial court on four men for gang-raping a Dalit woman at Namagiripet in Namakkal district.

Though there were five convicts in the case, one of them did not prefer any appeal, and hence, the High Court dealt with only the appeals preferred by four of them.

Justices P.N. Prakash and R.N. Manjula pointed out that the victim was the mother of two girl children. She had been separated from her first husband and married another person younger than her. After the second marriage, she moved to Namagiripet in Namakkal district and therefore was not familiar with the local residents. Within 10 days of shifting her residence, sheand her husband were waylaid by three men, while two others joined them later who bullied the couple despite being told that they were married. In her deposition, the woman said the men referred to her as ‘item’ and ‘figure’ on a phone call to two others who later joined them in raping her.