HC acquits 5 in Chougule murder case

The Dharwad Bench of the High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday acquitted five people, including a woman, who were convicted in the sensational gang rape and murder of Sheetal Chougule in 2007.

A division bench comprising Justices Anand Byrareddy and S Sunita suspended the sentence of Fifth Additional Sessions Court, Belagavi, holding that there were no evidences in the case and the conviction was based on circumstantial evidences that do not tally.

According to prosecution, Ravindra Chougule had married Sheetal Chougule in 1998. He also had illicit relations with a woman who refused to marry Chougule until Sheetal was alive and both had conspired to get rid of her. Chougule had contacted Ranjit Shintre and gave him contract of Rs 4 lakh to kill Sheetal. On August 11, 2007 Chougule took Sheetal to Rajdeep Bungalow at Laxmi Nagar, Hindalga, wherein Ranjit Shintre, Vijayanand alias Dinku Shinde bungalow owner Rajesh Mense, Parashuram Kamble and Praveen Shintre were present.

Chougule left Sheetal in the guise of meeting a friend. The five men at the bungalow are said to have raped Sheetal for two days and on August 12, 2007 they strangulated her to death. They draped her body in the bedsheet, pillow and tied with the rope used for strangulation and dumped it in Kalmani Nala in Khanapur taluk.

The Fifth Additional Sessions Court, Belagavi, had awarded life imprisonment to accused 1,2,3,4 and 6 and acquitted Parashuram Kamble, the fifth accused. Praveen Shintre, the seventh accused was killed in police encounter at Rajdeep Bungalow.