The prosecution on Tuesday sought the death penalty or, in the alternative, life imprisonment for five men convicted in the 2024 Bhayli gang rape case , in which a 16-year-old girl was raped during the Navratri festival.
“Considering the manner in which the offence was committed and the role of each convict, we have sought the maximum punishment to ensure that such crimes are not repeated. The incident took place on the second night of the Navratri festival , when the girl, returning from a garba event with a friend, was allegedly intercepted by five men and gang-raped. The Vadodara Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court heard arguments on the quantum of punishment and fixed August 31 to pronounce the sentence.
There is a provision for the death penalty and, in the alternative, we have sought life imprisonment,” district government pleader Anil Desai, appearing for the prosecution, told HT.
The defence sought minimum punishment, citing the fact that the convicts were married and had families and children. The accused, Munna Abbas Banjara, Mumtaz alias Aftab Banjara, Shahrukh Banjara, Saif Ali Banjara and Ajmal Banjara, allegedly approached the girl and her friend at a secluded spot on motorcycles, took the keys of her two-wheeler and threatened to inform her family.
Desai said the prosecution opposed the plea, arguing that the same family circumstances existed when the convicts committed the offence.
