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Journalism of Courage
Arguing against a criminal appeal challenging the capital punishment awarded by a trial court to Chandraban Sanap for raping and murdering Hyderabad techie Esther Anuhya (23) in 2014, Special Public Prosecutor Raja Thakare on Tuesday told the Bombay High Court that after the murder, Sanap had asked a priest in Nashik if performing a puja can help him atone for his sin.
Esther, who hailed from Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh, was employed at Tata Consultancy Services in Mumbai and lived in a hostel in Andheri. Early January 5, 2014, she had reached Lokmanya Tilak Terminus where Sanap, a petty thief, posed as a driver and offered her a lift. The CCTV cameras installed at the station had captured Sanap carrying her luggage and Esther walking a few paces behind him.
The 700-page chargesheet had said that Sanap took her to a secluded spot in Bhandup where he raped and killed her. After setting her body on fire, he left with her two bags. The body was discovered by a search party comprising family members and friends on January 16, in a decomposed state.
On Tuesday, Thakare mentioned the statement of Prasad Shukla, a priest at Trambake-shwar Temple. Shukla had said that on January 5, 2014, Sanap had visited him at the temple to perform Kalsarpayog and Atigand Yog puja. Sanap, who came to him with his horoscope, told Shukla that he had committed a sin towards a woman and whether it could be atoned by performing the puja, the statement said. Shukla added that he told Sanap that there is no relation between his act and the puja.
Thakare also mentioned the statement of Rajabhau Aher, an astrologer. In his statement, Aher had said that when Sanap came to him, he was “under pressure” and said that his “stars are not good” and therefore wanted Aher to see his horoscope. Aher said after discussing his horoscope for about an hour, Sanap asked him while leaving “if any sin has been committed against a woman, whether a puja could rectify it”. The arguments will continue on Wednesday.
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