Death confirmed for Pune rape, murder convicts

Pradip Kokade sobbed inconsolably as the Bombay high court on Monday upheld the trial court’s death sentence for him and his friend Purushottam Borate in the Pune BPO employee’s rape and murder.

On November 1, 2007, Jyotikumari Choudhary, 22, boarded Borate’s car from her home for the night shift. But Borate, who was the official driver of the BPO, did not take her to office. Instead, he drove to a secluded spot and on the way picked up his friend Kokade. 

After both raped Choudhary, they strangled her and smashed her face with a stone. The body was found the next day, following which the two were arrested.

But on Monday, Borate appeared defiant as the court upheld the death sentence for the two.

“Phaasi par chadha denge phir bhi main nahin manunga ki maine aisa kiya (You can hang me, but I will not accept that I committed the crime),” he said.

Borate, in fact, accused the trial court and the high court of being unfair and not listening to their side of the story. “If I had committed the crime, do you think I would have reported to duty — picking and dropping employees throughout the night?”

But this defence of Borate was the basis of the prosecution’s argument while seeking death penalty for him and his friend Kokade.

Public prosecutor PP Revati Mohite-Dere said both of them were heartless; which is why they continued working throughout the night as if nothing happened. “They even manipulated the pick-up and drop records,” Mohite-Dere said. “The crime as well as their subsequent behaviour was all well-planned.” 

Highlighting how the incident brought to the fore questions about women’s safety, Mohite-Dere requested the court to issue guidelines for their safety in public and private sector companies.

The division bench of justices VM Kanade and PD Kode said it proposed to request the HC chief justice to take up the issue of forming guidelines to ensure the safety of women working in the “graveyard shift” and travelling alone.

Defence lawyer Rahul Kate did not clarify if his clients would approach the SC but said it was being discussed.
Jyotikumari Choudhary’s brother Gaur Sundar said, “We are relieved to know that the safety of other girls would not be compromised.”