A Rajasthan special court on August 20 convicted and sentenced six individuals to life imprisonment in connection with the 1992 Ajmer sex scandal..The scandal involved a series of incidents of gang rape and exploitation of over 100 school and college girls aged 11 to 20. The convicts Nafees Chishti, Naseem alias Tarzan, Salim Chishti, Iqbal Bhati, Sohail Ghani, and Syed Zameer Hussain used to befriend girls from a private school and college in Ajmer, take their photographs and blackmail them into visiting a remote farmhouse where they were sexually assaulted.The victims were also coerced into bringing their friends who were similarly trapped in the gang’s activities.Judge Ranjan Singh noted that given the nature and gravity of the offence along with the prosecution's arguments and circumstances, it was justified to punish all six accused.The Court also imposed a fine of ₹5 lakh on each of the convicts."In the result, the accused Nafees alias Syed Nafeesuddin, Mohammad Iqbal Ajmeri, Salim Chishti, Sohail Ghani and Syed Zameer Hussain are convicted under Section 120B, 376 of the Indian Penal Code and the accused Naseem alias Tarzan is convicted under Section 120B, 376 read with Section 37 of the Indian Penal Code," the Court ordered..The Court further directed the District Legal Services Authority that if any amount has been given to victims in the context of the events of the case under any scheme of the District Legal Services Authority and Central and State Government, then the said amount will be adjusted from the compensation amount decided by the Court.The Court also noted that the delay in the case was due to the prolonged absence of the accused persons."The investigation began when the first accused, Nafees Chishti, appeared on 20.04.2003, and was only completed after the final accused, Sohail Ghani, appeared on 17.02.2018, causing the extended timeline," it added..Reportedly, of the 18 accused in the case, eight were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1998..Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.
