Six men receive life sentences and ₹5 lakh fines each for their role in the infamous 1992 Ajmer sex scandal involving the exploitation of over 100 young girls.
In Short:
- A POCSO court sentences six men to life imprisonment for their involvement in the 1992 Ajmer sex scandal.
- Each convicted individual is fined ₹5 lakh.
- The scandal involved the rape and blackmail of over 100 girls, aged between 11 and 20.
- A total of 18 men were accused; eight were sentenced to life in 1998, and one committed suicide.
A POCSO court has handed down life sentences to six more men involved in the notorious Ajmer sex scandal, a case that dates back to 1992. Each of the convicted men has also been fined ₹5 lakh for their crimes.
The men—Nafees Chishti, Naseem alias Tarzan, Salim Chishti, Iqbal Bhati, Sohail Gani, and Sayed Zameer Hussain—were found guilty of participating in the heinous acts of rape and blackmail that targeted over 100 young girls, mostly between the ages of 11 and 20. The scandal involved gang members befriending these girls, taking compromising photos of them, and later using the photos to blackmail and rape them.
The Ajmer sex scandal, which shocked the nation when it came to light, originally had 18 accused. The first charge sheet filed in the case implicated 12 individuals. Over the years, justice has been slow, with some accused absconding and others facing separate trials due to various circumstances.
Among the key figures in the case, Naseem alias Tarzan had gone missing in 1994, and Jahur Chishti was found guilty under Section 377 (unnatural sex). His case was transferred to another court. Farooq Chishti, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2007. Additionally, one of the accused took his own life during the trial.
In 1998, eight of the accused were sentenced to life imprisonment. A separate charge sheet was later filed against the remaining six—Nafees Chishti, Salim Chishti, Iqbal Bhati, Sohail Gani, Sayed Zameer Hussain, and Almas, who is still at large. These men, who had been on the run for years, were finally sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday.
The victims, who were students at a well-known private school in Ajmer, were lured to a farmhouse where they were assaulted. This case remains a dark chapter in the history of the region, highlighting the severe exploitation of young girls and the long struggle for justice.