After 17 years, a gang-rape survivor from the Gujarat riots obtains justice

In September last year, a Gujarat fast-track court sentenced a migrant laborer to 20 years in prison for raping a 14-month-old girl in the Sabarkantha district.

Bilkis Bano, a 19-year-old pregnant woman, escaped her town of Randhikpur in eastern Gujarat with numerous relatives in the spring of 2002 when sectarian violence erupted across the state.

Last year, the event allegedly resulted in violence against migrant workers in various regions of Gujarat. Many of these workers were compelled to leave the community.

Sujit Saket, the convicted rapist, and murderer of a five-year-old child was sentenced to life in prison in April. Sujit had used sweets to entice the girl, then raped and murdered her.

The 27-year-old defendant was apprehended by police and was facing charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO).

According to reports, special public prosecutor Rashmikant Pandya has asked the death penalty for Ravindra Sah, a 19-year-old Bihar native. Despite his youth, Sabarkantha Sessions Court Judge KB Gujarati sentenced the accused to 20 years in jail. Pandya reportedly told PTI that he will seek the state government's permission to launch an appeal in the high court to have the sentence increased.

According to the PTI report, the accused was found guilty under the recently enacted section 376-AB of the Indian Penal Code, in addition to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.

The clause stipulates that raping minors carries a maximum penalty of death. According to a PTI report, the Gujarat High Court established a fast-track court to hear the matter after the state administration requested it.