4 sentenced to life imprisonment till natural death in 2019 Alwar gangrape case

It is the right judgement." The rigorous life imprisonment was awarded to Hansraj Gurjar, Ashok Gujar, Chhotelal Gurjar and Indraj Gurjar for gangrape by the special court that deals with cases under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. All of them were charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the SC/ST Act and IT Act, said public prosecutor Kuldeep Jain.

A special court in Rajasthan's Alwar district on Tuesday convicted four men and awarded them rigorous life imprisonment until natural death for the gangrape of a woman in 2019. The court also awarded five years imprisonment to the fifth culprit under the IT Act for circulating a video clip of the incident.

Referring to the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the court observed that the act of the accused was more serious than 'Sita Haran' by Ravana and 'Cheer Haran' of Draupadi in Krishna Kal. The crime committed by the culprits was "cowardly", "disgusting" and had "shamed humanity", the court observed, adding that rape is not a problem of any caste, creed or religion but of entire humanity. Talking to a news channel later in the day, the survivor of the gangrape said, "The law has its course but it would have been better if the accused were given death penalty." Her father-in-law, however, said, "We are satisfied with the court's decision. The court has given life imprisonment until natural deaths. It is the right judgement." The rigorous life imprisonment was awarded to Hansraj Gurjar, Ashok Gujar, Chhotelal Gurjar and Indraj Gurjar for gangrape by the special court that deals with cases under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

All of them were charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the SC/ST Act and IT Act, said public prosecutor Kuldeep Jain. He said Hansraj was also convicted under an additional section of the IPC for repeated rape. "The court sentenced them to rigorous imprisonment till the time of natural death," Jain said. The incident took place on April 26 last year when the four men raped the woman in front of her husband at an isolated place on the Thanagazi-Alwar bypass in Rajasthan. The four had gangraped the woman, extorted money and filmed the video of the incident. The FIR in the case was registered on May 2. The case had triggered widespread protest and was condemned across the country. "Fifth culprit Mukesh Gurjar, who had circulated the video clip, was convicted under sections of IT and was awarded a maximum of five years imprisonment," Jain said. He said there is one more accused who is minor, and his trial is going on in a juvenile court.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot welcomed the judgement saying it sets an example of how swift inquiry can lead to justice being delivered in a short span of time. "All investigating officers, police and administrative officials in this case deserve appreciation. State government is committed to ensure no crime goes unpunished and all cases get a fair, thorough and speedy trial," Gehlot tweeted. Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje also welcomed the court's decision in the case. "I welcome the court's decision in the Thanagazi rape case. Our BJP government provisioned the harshest punishment for the perpetrators. The stringent punishment given in this case has given a message to the culprits and has strengthened the public's trust in the judiciary," she said. Expressing satisfaction over the verdict, Rajasthan Director General of Police Bhupendra Singh Yadav said, "We hope that the judgment has given justice to the victim and her family." Jaipur's Inspector General of Police S. Sengathir told reporters in Alwar, "In any serious case like this, after presenting chargesheet we will effectively try to get a higher conviction percentage." He said this case can be considered an "ideal case" as maximum punishment was given and a strong message has gone to society. State Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra said after the incident took place last year, former national president of the party Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Gehlot had gone to Alwar and the government took immediate action. "The accused were arrested and chargesheet presented on time and today accused have been punished by the court," he said.

Dotasra said the BJP at that time had created a lot of ruckus. "Incident can happen but the responsibility and duty of the government is to take immediate cognizance of the incident and arrest the culprits and get them punished by the court," he said.