Stating that their act has brought our country “disrepute in the eyes of the world”, a special fast-track court has held two men guilty of gangraping and kidnapping a Ugandan national and sentenced them to 30 years’ rigorous imprisonment.
“The manner in which the two convicts committed the crime shows that they are ferocious criminals with no concern for the respect and dignity of a woman… By choosing a foreign national as their target, they have shown that they do not care even for the respect and dignity of our country,” Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat said.
The court held the two men — Raj Kumar and Dinesh Sharma — guilty under sections 365 (kidnapping), 356 (assault for theft), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 376(D) (gangrape) of the IPC.
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In June last year, the Ugandan woman was kidnapped by the convicts in their car from Janakpuri around 11.30 pm. Kumar and Sharma took the woman to a house in Uttam Nagar, where they gangraped her. The woman was then dumped near a Metro pillar.
“The two were on the prowl like a hungry wolf and their eyes shone brightly on seeing the prosecutrix, a lonely foreign national… They immediately swung into action by dragging her inside their car, took her to the house of Kumar’s sister, where they raped her by taking turns and then dumped her near Metro pillar No. 781 early in the morning,” the court said, accepting the version of the prosecution.
While convicting the men, the court in a rare move “discarded” the DNA report in the case, relying on the “credible” testimony of the victim. “The medical evidence or forensic evidence is based upon the performance of machine used by the expert, certain calculations made by the expert and also some guesswork. It is for this reason that the court has to be very circumspect in determining whether it should rely upon the ocular evidence or the medical/forensic evidence in a given case,” Bhat said.
“Having regard to the facts and circumstances of the present case and the evidence led by the prosecution, this court has no difficulty in accepting the version of the prosecutrix (victim) on its face value and in discarding the DNA report,” the court added.
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The court observed that the testimony of the victim appears “credible, reliable and free from embellishments” and “inspires the confidence of the court”. “It may be noted here that in cases involving the offence of rape, the testimony of prosecutrix is the most vital and material piece of evidence. Her statement, if found to be worthy of credence and reliable, requires no corroboration and court may convict the accused on her sole testimony,” the court said.
As City Editor ( Delhi) at the Indian Express, Kaunain Sheriff leads city reporting with a sharp focus on accountability journalism, data-driven stories, and ground-level impact. As the National Health Editor he leads the newsroom’s in-depth coverage of pressing health issues.
He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, a definitive investigation into the accountability of one of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical corporations.
Areas of Expertise
Investigative Reporting: Has deep expertise in investigative reporting spanning public health, regulatory affairs, drug safety, and the criminal justice system. His work sits at the intersection of governance, law, and accountability, with a particular focus on how regulatory failures, institutional lapses, and policy decisions affect citizens’ rights and safety.
Data Journalism: Has extensively on big data–driven investigations, including analyses of flagship government schemes and large datasets on criminal trials, uncovering systemic gaps.
Global Collaborations
Kaunain is a key contributor to major international journalistic projects:
The Implant Files: Collaborated with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) to expose global malpractices in the medical device industry.
Chinese Big-Data Investigation: Uncovered how a foreign data firm monitored thousands of prominent Indian institutions and individuals in real-time.
Awards & Recognition
His commitment to "Journalism of Courage" has been recognized with the industry's highest honors:
Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism
SOPA Award (Society of Publishers in Asia)
Red Ink Award (Mumbai Press Club)
Indian Express Excellence Awards (Triple recipient for investigations into the NSA abuse in UP, Vyapam scam, and the anti-Sikh riots).
Education: Studied Mechanical Engineering at Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Bangalore, before moving to Delhi to pursue his passion for journalism. His engineering training informs his analytical approach, enabling him to decode technical, legal, and data-heavy systems with precision.
Social media
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kaunain-sheriff-3a00ab99
X ( fromerly Twitter): @kaunain_s ... Read More
