Setting new standard of speedy justice in rape cases, a Gujarat fast track court on Friday, Feb 19 sentenced three accused to life imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh each.

Shahid Saiyed (22), Tariq Saiyed (21) and Abu Bakr (33) were the accused in the Surat gangrape of a 16-year-old in Jun 2009.

Posing as policemen, the trio picked up the victim when she was her way to a coaching class in the wee hours of the morning and raped her in a vehicle. The accused also recorded a video of the act on mobile phones.

Two of the three accused are sons of policemen.

This is the first rape case that has seen justice within a year. The case was transferred to a fast track court after wide-spread protests.

On Jun 13, 2009, an enraged mob thrashed the three accused prompting the Gujarat government to transfer the case to a fast track court.

Meanwhile Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Pravin Togadiya said, “we welcome this decision, however, for such crime, lief imprisonment is not enough and therefore VHP demands that the government should demand death sentence for them. So that in future, nobody would dare to do such crime. Also police officer whose car was used in crime should be dismissed from police department”.

While Abu Bakr was sent to Vadodara central jail, other two were sent to Junagadh jail.