Additional sessions judge W K Sangale on Wednesday held Subhash Bhosale (30),Ganesh Kamble (26) and Ranjit Gade (25) guilty of raping a 25-year-old married woman in April,2010 at Hinjewadi IT Park. The quantum of their punishment will be pronounced by the court on Friday. Addressing the three accused in a packed courtroom on Wednesday,the judge declared that the three have been found guilty of conspiracy of gangrape of the complainant under the pretext of dropping her to her destination. The case was heard in the fast-track court as per orders of State Home Minister R R Patil. Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam argued for maximum punishment to the accused narrating six circumstances including the fact that one of the accused Bhosale was externed,but his externment order was cancelled by the state. This reveals the tendency of the accused,which will not change unless the iron hands of law gives them the maximum punishment possible, Nikam told the court. Narrating the other circumstances,Nikam said that the three accused had planned the gangrape. Bhosale and Kamble had invited Gade to rape the defenceless,helpless woman which was accepted by Gade. This shows the height of their shamelessness, Nikam said. He also stated that the three were autorickshaw drivers and in a city like Pune,the common man relies on a rickshaw driver to reach to their destination. When the three raped her,they betrayed her confidence. Nikam also narrated how Bhosale had threatened the complainant that they will sell her in a brothel and force her to become a prostitute. He requested the court that Gade and Kamble cannot be separated from Bhosale as they had also shared his shameless offence. Anticipating that the defence would argue for leniency in punishment considering the young age of the accused,Nikam said that it cannot be a ground for leniency as the trio were matured enough to know the consequences of their act. The defence lawyers Bhanudas Jagtap for Bhosale,Vijaysinh Thombre for Kamble and Vijay Shinde for Gade prayed for leniency considering that all the three accused were the only earning members of their family and that children of two accused had heart ailments.
