Dhaula Kuan rape convict gets 14 yrs RI

A Delhi court on Thursday sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for 14 years the lone arrested accused in the Dhaula Kuan gangrape case. A Delhi University student was raped in a moving car in 2005 by the accused and three of his accomplices. The three men are still to be arrested.

A Delhi court on Thursday sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for 14 years the lone arrested accused in the Dhaula Kuan gangrape case.

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A Delhi University student was raped in a moving car in 2005 by the accused and three of his accomplices. The three men are still to be arrested.

Referring to the crime as a “beastly act”, an Additional Sessions Judge said, “Rape sucks the life from the life of the victim. She can never overcome the scar of rape.”

The public prosecutor had sought maximum punishment for Ajit Singh Katiyar saying “the victim was raped six times in a moving car during the over two-hour illegal detention”.

Citing various apex court judgements, he said no leniency should be granted to such a sexual offender.

Defence counsel Manoj Sharma had sought a lenient sentence on the ground that he belonged to a poor family and had to look after his old and ailing parents.

Apart from the punishment, the court slapped a fine of Rs 20,000 on Katiyar after finding him guilty of gangrape, abduction, criminal intimidation, administering intoxicant and group liability.

Lending credence to the victim's testimony, the court had on December 8 held the accused guilty saying, “the victim is not on trial, the accused is. Moreover, she (the victim) was consistent in all her statements.”

The court, in its 70-page verdict, relied on the unequivocal and “consistent” statements of the 20-year-old victim given to the police and during the trial. The victim was abducted on May 8, 2005, while she was walking home after buying food from a roadside eatery along with a friend.