2013 Manipal gangrape case verdict pronounced: 3 get life imprisonment

Bengaluru, Oct 15: In the 2013 Manipal gangrape case of a 22-year-old medical student from Kerala, the Udupi district sessions court on Thursday, Oct 15 convicted three accused and sentenced them to rigorous life imprisonment. Two other accused were convicted for the destruction of evidence and sentenced to three years in jail.

The main accused Yogish Poojary, Hariprasad Poojary and Anand were sentenced to life imprisonment for kidnapping, issuing life threat and raping the girl, on the night of June 20, 2013.

All three of them have been told to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh each for gangrape, Rs 5,000 each for issuing life threat and another Rs 5,000 each for kidnapping. [Medical student abducted and gangraped in Manipal]

Two others - Balachandra (Yogish's brother) and Harindra (Hariprasad's brother) were found guilty of destroying the evidence. They were also imposed with a fine of Rs 5,000 each.

While hailing the verdict, Public Prosecutor T S Jithuri said, "This judgement was awaited from two-and-a-half years. The court has given the maximum punishment in the case. Let this be a lesson to others who indulge in such crimes. This is an excellent judgement. As the public prosecutor, I fought this case not only for the victim, but for the society as well."

Yogish is a resident of Ontibettu village near Hiriyadka, Hariprasad Poojary is a resident of Badagabettu in Parkala village, near Manipal and Anand is a resident of Sanakkibettu, near Parkala.

On June 20, 2013, the accused had abducted the victim in an autorickshaw and later gangraped her at an isolated spot. The victim, a fourth year MBBS student, was returning to her room from the library when the culprits kidnapped her from the Manipal University campus.

The miscreants later dropped her back and fled the scene. She managed to reach her apartment with difficulty. Her roommates immediately took her to Kasturba Medical college Hospital.

Hundreds of students had taken to the streets to protest against the incident.

OneIndia News