Court convicts last accused in NLSIU student rape case

 A sessions court on Monday convicted the last accused in the rape case of a student of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) on the Jnanabharati campus of Bangalore University
in 2012.

A fast-track court had sentenced six people — Yellaiah (23), Eeraiah (20), Shivanna (20), Doddeera (19), Maddura (20) and Rama (20) — in the case and awarded life imprisonment to them in September 2013. There were eight accused in the case, including a juvenile who was tried under the Juvenile Justice Act.

Raju, a resident of Ramanagaram and the last accused in the case, was at large after the incident. The police arrested him in September 2013, while the trial began in 2014. The court examined 33 witnesses out of the 52 listed.

“Rajeshwari Hegde, the sessions judge, found him guilty of the offence and sentenced him to life imprisonment,” S N Hiremani, public prosecutor in the case, said.

“Raju and the other suspects were sandalwood thieves. They also robbed people entering the BU campus late in the night. The victim and eyewitnesses confirmed Raju’s identity.”

The police had seized a sweater belonging to Raju and had sent it for examination. The mud stains on the sweater matched the sample taken from the spot where the rape had occurred.

The victim, then a second-year student at NLSIU, had gone with her male friend inside the forest area about 2 km from Gandhi Bhavan around 10 pm when the incident took place on October 12, 2012. The suspects, who were drunk, threatened the two, robbed their valuables and gang-raped the woman.