A court in Vadodara, Gujarat, has convicted five men in connection with the gang rape of a 16-year-old minor girl during Navratri festivities in 2024. Additional District and Sessions Judge C.M. Pawar delivered the verdict convicting all the accused who were involved in the assault. The court has scheduled August 25 to announce the quantum of sentence for the five convicts. The judgment brings a major legal milestone for the survivor and her family following the traumatic incident that shocked the city.
Vadodara Court Ruling and Legal Provisions
Special Public Prosecutor Nayan Sukhadwala provided details regarding the judicial proceedings and convictions. The court held all five individuals guilty under stringent sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The charges proven against the accused include gang rape, robbery, and destruction of evidence. Under Indian statutory law, these offenses carry severe penal sanctions, the exact duration of which will be determined during the sentencing hearing on August 25.
Sequence of Events on October 4, 2024
According to the prosecution's case presentation, the crime occurred on the night of October 4, 2024, amid annual Navratri celebrations. People across Vadodara had stepped out in large numbers to participate in traditional Garba events taking place across the city. The 16-year-old victim had gone to meet her childhood friend in the Laxmipura neighborhood at around 11 PM. At around 12 AM midnight, while returning together on a scooty through the Bhayli area, five men traveling on a two-wheeler intercepted them on an isolated stretch of road.
Hostage Situation, Assault, and Common Intention
The assailants took the victim's male friend hostage, physically overpowering him to prevent any intervention or call for help. Three of the five men proceeded to rape the minor girl. The remaining two men stood guard at the spot and actively participated in harassing and intimidating both the victim and her companion. Addressing the legal framework applied to spectator roles in group crimes, Special Public Prosecutor Nayan Sukhadwala noted that law holds bystanders equally accountable in gang rape cases. Prosecutors stated, "The court found all five guilty after taking common intention into consideration."
Profile and Identities of the Convicted Men
The five men convicted by the court are aged between 25 and 30 years. The prosecution identified the convicts as Mumtaz, Ajmal, Munna Banjara, Saif, and Shahrukh. The court established that all five shared a common criminal intention during the commission of the crime, rendering each individual fully culpable for the combined offenses of sexual violence, unlawful restraint, robbery, and destruction of physical evidence.
Evidentiary Proof, CCTV Footage, and Vishwamitri River Search
A combination of direct eyewitness testimony and circumstantial evidence proved pivotal in securing the convictions. During the crime, the perpetrators looted the victim's mobile phone and threw it into the Vishwamitri river to eliminate evidence. Police and fire department personnel carried out extensive search operations in the Vishwamitri river, but the handset could not be retrieved. Nevertheless, the court accepted the prosecution's evidentiary backing establishing that the device was robbed and thrown into the river.
Furthermore, investigators analyzed recordings from 26 CCTV cameras positioned along the route, with footage from 3 cameras clearly capturing the accused men. The court admitted these CCTV recordings into evidence. Prosecutor Sukhadwala highlighted that the primary direct evidence relied upon by the court comprised the testimony of the survivor and her male friend. Additionally, the immediate disclosures made by the girl to her mother and brother right after the incident were admitted as crucial corroborative evidence that reinforced the prosecution's case.
