A local court in Ahmedabad has pronounced five people guilty in the Bijal Joshi gang rape case, while seven others have been acquitted for lack of evidence.
Sessions Judge Jyostna Yagnik held Sajal Jain, Sugam Jaiswal, Chandan Jaiswal, Ashok Jaiswal alias Mandan and Dharmendra Jain guilty for gang-rape.
Bijal Joshi was gang-raped in Ashoka hotel of Shahibaug area of Ahmedabad on the night of December 31, 2003. She later committed suicide on January 7, 2004 by hanging herself in the room. The quantum of sentence will be announced later in the day by the court.
Meanwhile, the court has acquitted Pannalal Jaiswal, Anand Jaiswal, Harikrisnha Jaiswal, Seema Jaiswal, Shreya Jaiswal, Ashok Patel and Dr Yogesh Jadhav. All of them were accused of destroying evidence.
Manish Jain, the sixth accused involved in the case, has been absconding.
On New Year eve's, Bijal was lured into the hotel by her lover Sajal Jain. As per the complaint, she was gang-raped by six people, all of whom were either relatives or friends of Sajal, who were present in the hotel room number 106.
The hotel in which the incident took place was owned by Pannalal, who is father of Chandan and Ashok Jaiswal. Both of them have also been pronounced guilty by the court. Bijal was even branded with cigarettes and was badly beaten up after she was gang-raped.
Police had filed a 600-page chargesheet before the court, which had named 12 persons as accused in this case.
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