Kopardi rape, murder: Court frames charges against 3 accused

A local court has framed charges against the three accused in the July 13 Kopardi rape and murder case, which had triggered massive 'silent' protests by Marathas across the state.
The sessions court here yesterday framed charges against the three accused -- Jitendra Babulal Shinde (25), Santosh Gorakh Bhawal (23), and Nitin Gopinath Bhailume (23) -- under various sections including Indian Penal Code's 376 (a) (gangrape), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 302 (murder) and relevant provisions under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The special public prosecutor in the case, Ujjwal Nikam, told PTI that next hearing in the case will be on December 20.

Judge Suvarna Kewale rejected the demand of defence lawyer to shift the case to another district and asked him to approach the high court on their demand regarding transfer of the case to another court.
The accused alleged that their homes were sealed by the police. However, investigating officer Shashiraj Patole presented an affidavit and refuted the charges.
Subsequently, the court yesterday rejected the application of the accused in this regard.

The 15-year-old victim was raped on July 13 at Kopardi village in Ahmednagar district, allegedly by the three accused, who also inflicted injuries all over her body and broke her limbs before throttling her.

The incident triggered silent marches by the Marathas across the state as the victim belonged to the community, while the culprits are Dalits. Through their campaign, the community has also raised long-pending demands like quota in education and jobs.
The trial in the Kopardi rape and murder case began last month on October 19 after the filing of the chargesheet.
Stressing that criminal conspiracy charge need to be
framed against all the accused, Nikam had last month told the court that four to five days before the incident, the accused had stopped the girl and tried to molest her.
"Four to five days prior to the incident, all the accused had interrupted and obstructed the victim and accused Jitendra alias 'Pappu' Shinde had tried to drag her to the nearby field," Nikam had said, adding that when she resisted, the other two accused said that they would see her later.

Nikam said that on the day of the incident, all the accused were moving on their motorcycle and keeping a watch on the movements of the victim.
He had said that with the statements of 70 witnesses, the prosecution will complete the trial expeditiously.