Manipal gang rape case: Judgement on Oct 15

www.mangaloretoday.com

Udupi,Oct 09, 2015 (DHNS): The District and Session Court has posted the Manipal rape case for the final judgment on October 15, after almost two years after the incident took place.

Public prosecutor T S Jithuri  told Deccan Herald that the case was delayed as the accused had moved the High Court demanding the cross examination of the 15 accused who were named in the charge sheet.

“Their petition was initially rejected by the District and Sessions court. The prosecution found it unnecessary to examine the witnesses which were left out, as it would have been a repetition. On October 1, the prosecution produced various Supreme Court judgments on sexual assault that were relied upon during the course of argument. Following which the court posted the case for judgment on October 15,” he added.

A Manipal University girl, studying in the fourth year MBBS was reportedly gang raped by a group of three men at around 11.30 pm on June 20, 2013.  She was dragged inside the auto-rickshaw by three men including the auto-rickshaw driver, while she was walking out of the University library towards her flat. They abducted her to a remote area near Ontibettu village and had reportedly raped her. The investigating team led by the then Manipal CPI Sadnanda Tippannannavar had arrested all the three accused in the crime. The then IGP Western Range Prathap Reddy informed media on June 27 over the arrest.  Two were recovered by the police during the suicidal attempts and were admitted to the emergency ward at KMC.

One Yogesh Poojary  from Onthibettu who had called the IG over phone and confessed to the crime, had consumed poison fearing the detention. He was in hillocks in Heeriyadka area. Yogesh’s associate Hariprasad Poojary was arrested on the information furnished by Yogesh. Yogesh Poojary was an auto and taxi driver. Hariprasad, an auto driver had used his brother’s auto to commit the crime. The third accused Anand was retrieved by the police while he attempted suicide in his residence
in Parkala.

More than 200 people worked besides experts from Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Chikkamagaluru and Udupi and Mangalore city police were involved in the task.  The other two accused Balachandra and Harindra, brothers of Yogesh and Hariprasad were arrested on the charges of tampering the crime evidences. Manipal police filed the charge which ran into 650 pages with 108 witnesses against all the five accused in the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on August 22. The prime accused were charged with sections 366, 376 D, 506 and two other accused for tampering with evidences were charged with section 201 read with section 34 of Indian Penal Code. The case was posted for framing of the charges against the accused on October 28. It was posted on November 2 for the appearance of the accused before the District and Sessions court. The trial in the case had begun on January 6, 2014.