Kopardi rape case: Maharashtra court to pronounce quantum of sentence for 3 convicts

PUNE: A sessions court in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar will pronounce the quantum sentence for the three convicts in the Kopardi rape and murder case.

The sentencing was earlier expected on November 21 but later delayed.

A 15-year-old girl was brutally gang-raped and murdered by three men on July 13, 2016, at the Kopardi village in the Ahmednagar district. The victim had injuries all the body.

Later, three Dalit youth – Jitendra Babulal Shinde, Santosh Gorakh Bhawal and Nitin Gopinath Bhailume were arrested by cops. The trio were booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and certain sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

The incident sparked off massive demonstrations of the Maratha community at the time, flaring up tensions between Marathas and Dalits.

The Kopardi incident proved to be the trigger for the silent marches (mook morchas) taken out by the Marathas across the state as the victim belonged to the community, while the culprits were Dalits.

The charge sheet was filed by the prosecution on October 7, 2016 and charges were framed on October 17.

The government had granted a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh to the victim's family.