The victim of the shocking Suryanelli rape scandal, relating to the brutal serial rape of a 16-year-old girl from Suryanelli village in Kerala’s Idukki district by 42 men in 41 days in 1996, got justice 18 long years after her ordeal with the Kerala High Court upholding on Friday a special court order of 2000 that awarded life imprisonment to prime accused Dharmarajan.
The HC also upheld the order of punishment of the special court on 23 other accused, including senior Congress leader Jacob Stephen, by awarding them imprisonment of terms varying from four to 13 years. Seven accused were acquitted.