Women rights activists hail Indian court's decision to give life term to four convicts in Mumbai telephone operator gang rape case, three of whom are also accused of raping a photojournalist in August last year. Full Story: Women rights activists in India on Friday lauded a Sessions court's decision to give life term to four convicts in Mumbai telephone operator gang rape case, three of whom are also accused of raping a photojournalist in August last year. Activists from National Commission for Women (NCW) welcomed court's move to grant life imprisonment till natural death to the accused. "The minimum sentence was 20 years and the maximum punishment was life imprisonment. So, it was expected that the honourable judge will give the maximum punishment. So it has come to the conclusion which we expected, announced by the honourable judge. The NCW is welcoming this important decision which will give a positive message across the country," said NCW member Nirmala Samant. On Thursday, the Mumbai Sessions court convicted the five men for gang rape, criminal conspiracy, common intention, unnatural sex, criminal intimidation, wrongful restraint, assault, destruction of evidence under Indian Penal Code and other relevant sections of the Information Technology Act. Meanwhile, the Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam has sought stringent punishment for three of the convicts who are involved in both the cases. The photojournalist in her early 20s was attacked at dusk on August 22 last year while on an assignment with a male colleague at an abandoned textile mill in Lower Parel, an up-and-coming district where trendy bars and offices have sprouted on the sites of old factories. She braved the incident and came forward to file a report and support the proceeding. Two weeks later, encouraged by the boldness of the photojournalist, the telephone operator also came forward to report her case. She told police that she had gone there with her boyfriend who was tied up while she was assaulted. NCW Chairperson Mamta Sharma praised the photojournalist for inspiring other victims to come ahead to seek justice. "She (the photojournalist) played her role very bravely and I feel that other women should take inspiration from her bravery that if they keep fighting for justice and speak the truth, then they will get justice," said Sharma. However, the court adjourned the hearing on the quantum of punishment to the convicts in the photojournalist gang rape case till March 24. An advocate from southern city of Bangalore, however, did not seem pleased with court's decision and demanded death penalty for the convicts in photojournalist's gang rape. "It was also one of the rarest of rare cases where a photojournalist was heinously raped in a secluded area and she was made to come and she had to suffer. This is a case in which death sentence should have been imposed and they should not have been shown any leniency whatsoever. Somehow I feel it's not proper," said advocate Pramila Nesargi. Women's safety in India has been under the spotlight since the gang rape and murder of a student on a moving bus in Delhi in 2012, which provoked nationwide protests and the introduction of tougher sexual assault laws, yet an ongoing stream of high-profile attacks has raised concerns that little has changed. Under the stricter laws brought in last year, the men face a life sentence. It was not immediately clear whether they would appeal against the verdict. A total of seven persons were arrested in connection with the two gang rapes - a telephone operator and a photojournalist - in 2013. Three of the convicts are common in both the crimes. Two minors, one in each case, are being separately tried by the Juvenile Justice Board. Most sex crimes in India go unreported, many offenders go unpunished, and the wheels of justice turn slowly, according to social activists who say successive governments have done little to ensure the safety of women and children. Statistics showed that 244,270 crimes against women were reported to the police in 2012, against 228,650 in 2011, according to the National Crimes Records Bureau (NCRB). For more news and videos visit ☛ http://ntd.tv Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision Add us on Facebook ☛ http://on.fb.me/s5KV2C

• published: 21 Mar 2014
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