Four men convicted of stabbing and killing Keenan Santos and Reuben Fernandes in 2011 have moved the Bombay High Court in appeal against their conviction.
On October 20, 2011, the boys got into a brawl with four others when they passed lewd comments on the two girls with them at Amboli Bar. Keenan (24) was stabbed four times and died on October 21, whereas Reuben (29) succumbed on October 31, 2011.
The special women’s court at City Civil and Sessions Court on May 5 said, “This is a case of the trajectory death of two friends.” Special Judge Vrushali Joshi had pronounced Jitendra Fakirchand Rana (25), Satish Nafeshing Dulgaj (35), Sunil Omprakash Bhot (20), and Deepak Ishwar Omprakash Piwal (20) guilty, and awarded them life imprisonment until death. The court said, “The offence started with the vulgar act of the accused by touching the victim inappropriately.”
The court convicted all the four accused under Section 302 (punishment for murder), Section 324 (causing hurt by dangerous weapons), Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), Section 434 (mischief by destroying or moving a landmark fixed by public authority), Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), and Section 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Bombay Police Act. The court also imposed them a fine of Rs. 5,000 each.
The HC will hear their appeals on November 28.
