TWO GET DEATH TERM FOR JIGISHA MURDER Parents say justice done in view of the brutality of the crime

A court here on Monday awarded death penalty to Ravi Kapoor and Amit Shukla for kidnapping and killing Jigisha Ghosh in 2009, saying the magnitude and brutality of the crime made it "a rarest of rare cases". Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav also sentenced the third accused, Baljeet Singh Malik, to life imprisonment.

Kapoor and Shukla looked impassive while Malik seemed shocked upon hearing the sentence. The parents of Jigisha Ghosh, who worked as an IT executive, welcomed the verdict, saying justice has been done to their deceased daughter. "I had hoped for the two convicts to get death penalty and that is exactly what has happened," Jigisha's mother said. The court imposed a fine of Rs 1.1 lakh against Kapoor, Rs 2.8 lakh against Shukla, and Rs 5.8 lakh against Malik and directed that Rs six lakh be given to Jigisha's parents as compensation from the amount collected from the convicts.

"Offence in the present case was committed in coldblooded, inhuman and cruel manner," the court said. "Innocent, helpless and vulnerable victim remained in the captivity of convicts for hours." The court observed that to save herself Jigisha handed over her debit card and other belongings to the convicts. She also disclosed the PIN numbers of the debit card to the convicts.

The convicts killed Jigisha even after she pleaded for her life and were satisfied only by brutally mauling her to death, the court said. "In other words, the convicts behaved in uncivilised and barbaric manner against a helpless girl," the court said.

"It is the level, magnitude and degree of brutality, attitude and mindset of wrongdoer behind the crime along with other factors which makes it a rarest of rare cases." Gruesome crimes against women are on the rise and showing leniency will send a wrong message to the society, the court said.