Three sentenced to death for journalist's gang rape in India

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 4 April 2014

An Indian court sentenced three men to death for the gang rape of a photojournalist in Mumbai. This ruling highlights the enforcement of tough anti-rape laws.

Summary

NEW DELHI: An Indian court on Friday sentenced to death three men who raped a photojournalist inside an abandoned textile mill in the financial hub of Mumbai last year. A fourth defendant was sentenced to life in prison, prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said. He said he asked for the death sentence under a strict anti-rape law introduced following public outrage over a fatal gang rape in New Delhi in 2012.

"This is the first case in India in which the death penalty has been given to convicts while the victim is alive," Nikam said.

The three men were found guilty last month of raping a call-center operator at the same abandoned mill in July 2013, a month before the attack on the photojournalist. Nikam described the three as habitual offenders.

Judge Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi said the offense was diabolical in nature and the punishment would send a strong message to society. - AP

KEY POINTS:

• Three men sentenced to death for raping a photojournalist in Mumbai.
• A fourth defendant received a life sentence for a related crime.
• The case is notable as it involves a death penalty while the victim is alive.
• Public outrage led to stricter anti-rape laws after past incidents.
• The ruling sends a strong message regarding sexual violence in society.