A fast-track court is likely to pronounce sentence on the three of the four convicts in the photojournalist gang-rape case — who were tried for being ‘repeat offenders’ in rape cases — on Thursday, after hearing the final arguments from both the prosecution and defence lawyers on the quantum of punishment.
A day after it recorded the statements of three convicts who are common convicts in the twin Shakti Mill gang cases, three witnesses in the two cases on Wednesday deposed before Principal Judge Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi on the additional rape charge framed against the three ‘common convicts’ under section 376 (E) of IPC.
In their fresh statements made before the trial court on Tuesday, the three “common” convicts pleaded not guilty of the additional charge framed by the court against them under section 376 (E) of IPC, which deals with punishment for repeat offenders in rape cases.
Following an application from the defence lawyers, the three witnesses — who had earlier deposed in connection with the photojournalist gang-rape case — had specially called for a fresh deposition before the court in view of a fresh rape framed against the three “common convicts” in the two Shakti Mill gang-rape cases.
Confirming that the trial court would hear final arguments of both the prosecution and defence lawyers on the quantum of punishment, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told The Pioneer in the evening: “After hearing both sides, we expect the court to deliver the verdict in the photojournalist case tomorrow”
Under Section 376 (E) of the IPC, the three convicts face life imprisonment either “for the remainder of the natural lives” or death on the ground that the three convicts were “repeat offenders” in rape cases.
The Section 376 (E) is a new provision incorporated in section 376 of IPC (that deals with punishment for rape) after the Delhi gang-rape case
The three convicts Vijay Jadhav (19) Mohammad Qasim Shaikh alias Qasim Bengali (21) and Mohammad Ansari (28)-against whom court framed by the court under Section 376 (E) of IPC on March 24, are common convicts in both the July 31, 2013 telephone operator and August 22, 2013 photojournalist gang-rape cases.