1996 Suryanelli rape case: SC sets aside Kerala HC verdict acquitting 35 accused

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday set aside Kerala high court verdict acquitting 35 accused in the 1996 Suryanelli gang rape case.
The Supreme Court has sent back the case to Kerala HC asking it to take a fresh look at it.
The Suryanelli rape case involves gang rape of a 16-year-old girl continuously for 40 days by 42 men in 1996.
The girl from Suryanelli in Idukki district of Kerala was abducted in January 1996 and was transported from place to place across Kerala.
On September 6, 2000, the special court had sentenced 35 persons to rigorous imprisonment for varying terms.
The Kerala HC acquitted all 35 convicts earlier and found only one of them person guilty of crimes related to the sex trade and sentenced him to five years jail term and a fine of Rs 50,000.
Later her family and the state moved the Supreme Court in 2005 against the high court's verdict.