Minor girl's gangrape on Navratri night in 2024: Vadodara court sentences 5 men to life in prison

A special POCSO court in Vadodara on Monday sentenced five men to life imprisonment in the 2024 case of a minor girl's gangrape on a Navratri night in the city, describing the crime as "the most heinous incident".

Additional District and Sessions Judge CM Pawar imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on each of the five convicts and also ordered the government to pay Rs 10 lakh compensation to the survivor, special public prosecutor Nayan Sukhadwala said.

"The court observed that women play a vital role in society, and gang-rape committed on a woman or a minor is an extremely serious matter. The court described this as a most heinous incident," Sukhadwala told reporters.

"The court further remarked that an incident of gangrape occurring during Navratri, a festival dedicated to Goddess Amba, cannot be treated lightly, noting that the evidence presented was strong and beyond reasonable doubt," he added.