It’s death for six honour killers

nashik (maharashtra) — A court here on Saturday send six men to the gallows in the honour killings of three Dalit youths in Ahmednagar district five years ago.

On January 15, Nashik District and Sessions Court Judge Rajendrakumar R. Vaishnav pronounced six of the seven accused guilty for the brutal murder of Sachin S. Gharu and two others on January 1, 2013.

Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said the convicts have also been ordered to pay a fine of Rs20,000 each and directed the government to compensate the victims’ families.

Some of the compensation has already been paid.

Those who have been awarded the capital punishment include: Popat V. Darandale, Ganesh P. Darandale, Prakash V. Darandale, Ramesh V. Darandale, Ashok S. Navgire and Sandeep M. Kurhe.

Gharu, 24, had fallen in love with an upper caste Maratha girl of the Darandale family from Sonai village. The lovers planned to marry against her family’s wishes.

The convicts include the girl’s father, Popat V. Darandale, her brother Ganesh, other relatives and friends of the family. All six would be hanged for various crimes including murder, criminal conspiracy, etc.

One of the co-accused in case Ashok R. Phalke was acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence, which was handed over to the state CID by the then state home minister, the late R.R. Patil.—