Patan prosecutor hopeful of justice

Last year in February, the state was shocked after news of the rape of a Dalit girl by six teachers of her college came to light. The trial of the case, which is still going on, is likely to conclude by month-end and the prosecution is hopeful of getting justice for the victim.
“I’m optimistic that the guilty will be brought to justice. I’ve done my best,” said Bhatt, special prosecutor in the case. “The case is in the final stages. The final argument on behalf of the five accused has been completed and Atul Patel’s argument is currently being heard by the court.”

Bhatt further said that the fight in court had been tough. “They (defence lawyers) raised many points of law during the trial and I had to counter them with convincing arguments,” she said. “The defence said that as the police complaint had been lodged long after the incident, there should be separate trials as the incident involved different groups of accused and had occurred at different places.”

Bhatt has handled several high-profile cases such as the infamous Latif gang case (in which she was the special public prosecutor) and the Bilkis Bano case (in which she was the assistant special counsel).

“Of the 78 witnesses in the case, the prosecution examined 25 in the court. All the 25 witnesses gave evidence in favour of the victim,” Bhatt said.