Kolkata/IBNS: The West Bengal government Friday decided to move the Supreme Court after the Calcutta High Court acquitted a capital punishment awardee and commuted the death sentence of two others to life imprisonment over the gang rape and murder of a 21-year-old college student at Kamduni in North 24 Parganas, an incident that shook West Bengal 10 years ago.
A Barasat court had sentenced three convicts to death, while three others got life imprisonment for raping the victim on June 7, 2013, when she was returning home on a rainy day after appearing for an examination.
Following the decision of the Calcutta HC, the state government decided to move the apex court challenging the verdict.
On hearing the order, the brother of the victim fell unconscious on the premises of the court.
In 2016, the lower court awarded capital punishment to Amin Ali, Saiful Ali, and Ansar Ali while Imanul Islam, Aminul Islam, and Bhola Naskar were sentenced to life imprisonment.
A division bench comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Ajay Kumar Gupta acquitted Amin Ali and commuted the death sentence of Saiful and Ansar to imprisonment till the end of their natural life.
The bench acquitted Imanul, Aminul, and Bhola of the changes of gang rape and convicted them of criminal conspiracy and causing the disappearance of evidence.
Stating that the three have already suffered incarceration for more than 10 years since their arrest and their conviction prescribes a maximum of seven years imprisonment, the court directed that they will be set free upon payment of Rs 10,000 fine each, in default, of which they will undergo simple imprisonment for three more months.
Family members of the victim expressed their unhappiness following the high courts order.
The gangrape had triggered a political firestorm with the ruling government in West Bengal coming under attack after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her visit to the family called some protesters in the village as Opposition and Maoist-backed forces.
Mamata Banerjee met the brothers of the victim in 2013 and offered a government job to the elder brother while promising to bear the cost of treatment of the victims parents and the cost of education of the younger brother. Refusing the CMs help, the victims brothers demanded capital punishment for the accused.
