The Bombay high court, on Tuesday, ordered a compensation of `3 lakhs to the witnesses in the Best Bakery case. The court observed that the compensation of `2,000, given to them by the Gujarat government, was “inadequate”.
“The compensation given to these witnesses is inadequate taking into consideration the ordeal they have undergone. Hence, we direct the Gujarat government to deposit a compensation of `3 lakhs each the four eyewitnesses,” observed the division bench of justices V.M. Kanade and P.D. Kode.
The court on Monday had passed an order convicting four persons with life imprisonment while acquitting five others who had appealed against the order in retrial by a Mumbai sessions court.
Noting that a number of witnesses had turned hostile in the case, the court said it was high time that the state government developed a mechanism for providing protection to witnesses. Apart from these four eyewitnesses, the bench also ordered a compensation of `3 lakh to key prosecution witness Yasmeen Shaikh.
Yasmeen, who had testified against accused during the trial, had filed an application in the high court early this year seeking that her evidence be recorded again as she was “tutored and misguided” by social activist Teesta Setalvad into giving false evidence.
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Woman kills daughter after rape bid
Amritsar, July 10: A woman allegedly hacked to death her adopted seven-year-old daughter after her husband attempted to rape the child.
The woman, Sakshi, attempted suicide on Monday night by cutting her veins after killing the child with a sharp edged iron weapon, police said on Tuesday.
As the couple did not have a child, Sakshi’s husband Ramesh had adopted the daughter of his brother.
Around two days ago, Ramesh had allegedly attempted to rape the child and the matter was subsequently reported to police by Sakshi.
After the arrest of Ramesh, Sakhsi was scolded by her in-laws for reporting the matter to police and bringing bad name for the family.
On her way to the hospital, Sakshi told police that she was being harassed by her in-laws for taking the matter to the police.
They were mounting pressure on Sakshi to withdraw the complaint when she took the extreme step.
She has been booked under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (murder) and 309 of IPC (attempt to commit suicide).
— PTI