Maha: Sonai 'honour' killings case verdict on Jan 20

A local court will pronounce on January 20 its verdict in the 2013 Sonai honour killing case in which six men were convicted three days ago for murdering three Dalit youths in Ahmednagar district.
After conclusion of arguments by public prosecutor and defence advocate, the district and sessions court Judge R R Vaishnav today said verdict would be pronounced on Saturday.
Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam has demanded the death penalty for the six convicts, saying they displayed extreme brutality in committing the "cold-blooded" crime.
Defence advocate S S Adas demanded leniency citing the age of the convicts.
While the youngest convict is 23, the eldest is 52.

The three youths were brutally killed in Sonai village on January 1, 2013, and their mutilated body parts were found in a septic tank.

Judge R R Vaishnav on January 15 convicted Popat alias Raghunath Darandale(52), Ramesh Darandale (42), Prakash Darandale (38), Ganesh alias Pravain Darandale (23), Ashok Navgire (32) and Sandeep Kurhe (37) - all residents of Ahmednagar district - under various sections of the IPC.
Ashok Phalke (44) was acquitted by the court after the prosecution failed to establish the charges against him.
The six were convicted on various charges including murder and criminal conspiracy for killing Sachin Gharu (24), Sandeep Thanvar (25) and Rahul Kandare (20).

According to police, the killings were prompted by an intercaste love affair between Gharu and a girl from the Maratha community.
Gharu and his colleagues, who worked as sweepers, were summoned by the girl's family to their home on January 1 to clean their septic tank.
Police found Gharu's decapitated body, with his limbs severed from the tank, the next evening. The mutilated bodies of Thanvar and Kandare were found from a well on January 3.
The convicts include the father, the elder brother and other relatives of the girl.
The victims belonged to the backward Mehtar community.
Altogether, 54 witnesses were examined in the case.