Accused fail to cough up bail, sent to judicial custody
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 13 2014: Judicial Magistrate 1st Class (JMIC), Bishnupur today sent all the 21 accused persons including nine women in the brutal assault of Nambol OC Lisham Premchand and his team to judicial custody as they could not furnish the bail bond of Rs 30,000 each.

After perusing the pleas submitted by defence counsels, the Court granted bail to some of the accused persons on surety bond of Rs 30,000 each.

However, as they could not furnish the said amount, the Court ordered to send all of them to judicial custody.

On the other hand, out of these 21 accused persons, Nambol Police have formally arrested six persons after registering a fresh FIR against them.

They have been identified as Naorem Shantikumar (60) s/o (L) N Komdum, his two sons N Santosh (31) and N Sunil (28), Naorem Ongbi Sunita w/o N Sarat, Naorem Ongbi Sachi (55) w/o Shantikumar and Binita alias Echan (31) w/o Santosh.

The accused being escorted by the police

Rape convict sentenced to RI : The Sessions Court Bishnupur today sentenced a 33-year-old VDF personnel to eight years rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 20,000 in a cheating and rape case.

Wahengbam Sanayai alias Yai Singh (33) s/o (L) Khema of Kumbi Khullakpam Leikai was convicted by the Court under Section 376 and 417 on October 10 last for raping and cheating a young girl from Ngaikhong Khullen.

In today's sentence hearing, the convict was produced before the Court under the session trial case number 18 of 2013 under FIR number 48(4) 2012 of Bishnupur police station under section 366 and 376 IPC.

During the sentence hearing of the case, Assistant Public Prosecutor pleaded the Court to award a maximum sentence of life imprisonment to the convict for committing serious offence of rape and cheating against the rape survivor.

On the other hand, the defence counsel pleaded for minimum punishment saying that Sanayai's service had already been terminated after the incident and the convict has a wife and two minor children.

After hearing both the sides, the Court sentenced Sanayai to rigorous imprisonment of eight years along with a fine of Rs 20,000.The Court further pronounced that Sanayai would have to stay three more months in jail if he fails to pay the fine.

If the fine is deposited by Sanayai to the Court, the amount would be given to the victim as compensation, the Court said.

In further order of the sentence hearing, the convict has also been sentenced to a simple imprisonment of one year under section 417 of the IPC and both the sentences awarded to the convict will run concurrently.

The time period which the convict has already undergone in the judicial custody during investigation and trial will be set off from the sentence awarded.

The Court also recommended and ordered the Member Secretary of Manipur State Legal Service Authority to provide compensation to the rape survivor under Section 357A of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

It may be mentioned that Sanayai abducted the girl hailing from Ngaikhong Khullen from near her house on April 22, 2012 and brought her to a house at Khoijuman village in Bishnupur district.

Although, Sanayai was already a married man when the incident occurred, he not only cheated the girl that he was a bachelor but also made a false promise to marry her.

As the girl refused to his sexual advances, Sanayai raped the girl inside the house that night.

The next day, he brought the girl to Khoijuman Bazar and left her there before he disappeared from the market.

Following a complaint lodged by the family of the girl, Sanayai was arrested by police and a charge sheet was submitted against him under Section 366/365/and 376 IPC to JMIC Bishnupur.

Later, JMIC Bishnupur committed the case to the Sessions Court Bishnupur on October 30, 2013 and the Court framed charges against Sanayai on December 5, 2013 under Section 366 and 376 IPC.

After a undergoing trial for around 10 months, Sanayai was convicted on October 10 last.