Suryanelli rape: Main accused gets lifer
Other accused in the case were sentenced to 4-13 years in jail.
In November, the court wanted to hear the version of the Suryanelli rape victim while considering the discharge petition of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien in the case.
In a big relief to Kurien, a sessions court in Kerala's Thodupuzha on June 29 rejected a plea to make him an accused in the 1996 Suryanellirape case.
The plea was filed by the Suryanelli rape victim challenging the dismissal of her earlier complaint, that was filed before a magistrate court.
Her plea wanted to seek further investigation into the involvement of Kurien in the case.
The fresh plea was made after Dharmarajan, a lawyer who was convicted in the Suryanelli case, had alleged that Kurien was involved in the gangrape as claimed by the victim.
The rape victim in her letter on Jan 29 said Kurien along with other accused in the case had raped her in the Kumily panchayat guest house in Kerala.
The Supreme Court, however, had cleared him in the case.
Kurien maintained that he had been cleared of the charges by the Supreme Court and has called this a 'political conspiracy'.
The rape victim reiterated that the police did not investigate Kurien properly because of his political influence.
The Suryanelli rape case is concerned with a 16-year-old girl who was raped by 42 men for 40 days in 1996 in the state.
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