The Bombay high court on Monday confirmed the death penalty in the 2007 rape and murder case of a BPO employee in Pune. The 22-year-old Wipro employee was raped and murdered on the last day of her job.
On November 2, 2007 the body of Jyotikumari Chaudhary, who was raped and killed was found at Wadgaon, off the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, on the outskirts of Pune, a day after the crime was committed.
The driver of her office cab, Purshottam Borate and his friend Pradip Kokate, were arrested and charged with rape and murder. In a trial at the Pune sessions court, both were awarded death penalty in March 2012.
The duo was earlier convicted under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 364 (kidnapping), 376 (rape) and 302 (murder) among other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Confirming their conviction last week, the HC had observed, “We are confirming the conviction. Our conclusion is that the findings (of the trial court) on the conviction is correct.”
According to the prosecution, the victim, on November 1, 2007 had boarded the regular cab contracted by the company to report for night duty. The cab driver Borate who was accompanied by his friend Kokade, however, changed the route and took the victim to a remote place where she was raped by both of them. The duo then strangled her to death using her dupatta and disfigured her face inflicting injuries with a sharp weapon to hide her identity.
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LS bypoll: Pranab son canvasses
PRANMOY
BRAHMACHARI
Berhampore, Sept. 17
Murshidabad Congress district president Adhir Chowdhury asked party workers to ensure the victory of Abhijit Mukherjee in the coming Jangipur Lok Sabha bypoll so that he could complete the work started by his father Pranab Mukherjee. “We are privileged that the high command has nominated Abhijit candidate for the constituency which was represented by his illustrious father Pranabda. He is the inheritor of Pranabda’s legacy and will complete the good work his father had started in Jangipur,” he added.
Mr Chowdhury was addressing a conference at Rabindra Bhavan. It was Mr Chowdhury who was instrumental in Pranab Mukherjee’s maiden victory in Jangipur in 2004 and also in 2009.