Odishatv Bureau
Bangalore: Six persons were today sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a 21-year-old law student with the Fast Track court that completed the trial in a record 13 sittings observing that offences like gangrape causes "disfigurement of a human soul."
 
The court here today handed out the sentence after convicting the accused on all the charges, including abduction, gangrape, dacoity and assault on September 4.
 
The student of National Law School of India University from Nepal was raped by an eight-member gang inside the Jnanabharathi campus of Bangalore University, adjacent to NLSIU, in October last year when she was with a male friend.
 
Civil and Sessions Court Judge K B Sangannavar observed that gangrape "is a very heinous crime" and added, "....the bodily injuries causes disfigurement of a human body, whereas an offence like gangrape causes disfigurement of a human soul."
 
He also said injuries caused to the body is curable, but injuries caused to the soul is incurable. "It leaves a permanent scar on the victim's mind."
 
Pronouncing the quantum of punishment, he said such offences should be dealt with deterrent punishment as per principles enunciated by the Supreme Court. The six men were sentenced under IPC Section 376--2G for gangrape.
 
Police had filed the chargesheet in August this year.
 
The convicted were also sentenced to one year imprisonment for the offence under Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of IPC and another three years under Sec 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means).
 
The court directed the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board of Karnataka to pay adequate compensation to the victim considering the trauma she underwent due to the sexual assault committed on her by the offenders.
 
Public Prosecutor S V Bhatt said since the offence was committed in October 2012, provisions or the new amendments relating to sexual attacks on women could not be made out in the present case.
 
"The verdict was pronounced on the charge sheet filed by the investigating authority," he added.
 
The seventh accused Raja is still absconding.The eighth accused is a minor whose trial is going on at a Juvenile court in Bangalore.
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