Mumbai, Fifteen years after two men were killed in Mumbai while allegedly defending women friends from eve-teasers, the Bombay High Court on Thursday upheld the conviction of three accused, but acquitted two of them on charges of murder.
A bench of Justices M S Karnik and Sandesh Patil on Thursday upheld the conviction of Jitendra Rana for the offence of murder, but reduced the life sentence imposed on him in 2016 by a special court to 20 years in jail. The bench acquitted two others of murder, but upheld their conviction for causing simple hurt and the one-year sentence imposed by the special court in 2016.
In 2016, the special court convicted four persons – Jitendra Rana, Satish Dulgaj, Sunil Both and Deepak Piwal – in the case on charges of murder and other offences and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The HC bench on Thursday upheld the conviction of Rana for the offence of murder, but reduced the life sentence imposed on him by the special court to 20 years in jail. The special court had convicted Rana and Dulgaj also on the charge of molestation, apart from murder. The bench acquitted two others – Both and Piwal – of the charge of murder, noting it does not stand against them.
“Considering his age , we are reducing the life sentence to 20 years in jail but without any remission,” the HC said. The HC, however, upheld their conviction on the charge of causing simple hurt and said the one-year sentence imposed on them by the special court stands.
