Park street rape: Three accused get ten years imprisonment

Kolkata: The three men convicted in the gang-rape of an Anglo-Indian woman Suzette Jordan on Park Street here were sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment on Friday by a court here.

Pronouncing the quantum of punishment during in-camera proceedings, Additional Sessions Judge Chiranjib Bhattacharya also slapped fines of Rs 1 lakh each on the three accused – Ruman Khan, Naser Khan and Sumit Bajaj.

"The judge after considering all aspects and hearing the accused persons on the quantum of sentence, sent them to 10 years of rigrorous imrpisonment, with fine of Rs1 lakh each under section 376 (2)(g) (of the Indian Penal Code) dealing with gang-rape. In default, they would have to serve another six months of rigorous imprisonment," said a lawyer associated with the case.

If the fine amount is realised, that would go to the legal heir of the woman, who died on March 13 this year.

On Thursday, the judge had pronounced all three guilty of gang-rape.

While all three were found guilty of gang-rape, Naser and Ruman were also convicted under various sections dealing with criminal conspiracy, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation and common intention.

The woman — then 37 years old, a divorcee and mother of two — was beaten up and gang-raped by five men at gun-point inside a moving car and then thrown off the vehicle near a city intersection on the night of February 5, 2012, after she had come out of a night club on fashionable Park Street.

Prime accused Kader Khan and co-accused Mohammed Ali were still absconding.

Both Naser and Ruan were also sentenced to three simultaneous sentences of six months, six months and four months under section 120B (criminal conspiracy), section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and section 506 (criminal intimidation) respectively. The duo was also fined Rs10,000, Rs10,000 and Rs5,000 respectively under the three IPC sections.

"The fines, if realised, would have to be paid to the victim's legal heirs," a lawyer said.

All the sentences would run concurrently.

Relatives of each of the accused said they would move an appeal in a higher court.

Ten years rigorous imprisonment is the minimum punishment givne to a person convicted under section 376 (2)(g).

The judge earlier in the day asked each of the accused youth what they had to say about their possible quantum of punishment. All three pleaded their innocence and prayed for minimum punishment considering their age and family situation.

(IANS)