10-yr-term for Imrana's father-in-law

The much debated Imrana case came to its logical conclusion on Thursday when the district judge of Muzaffarnagar pronounced a 10-year jail term Imrana's father-in-law, who had raped his daughter-in-law in May 2005.

Imrana, the 29-year-old victim had been virtually crucified by an Islamic Shariat court, which had not only declined to take any action against the culprit father-in-law Ali Mohammad, but also disallowed her to cohabit with her husband.

Muzaffarnagar District and Sessions Judge R D Nimesh pronounced the judgment in a crowded open court around 4.30 pm. Holding Ali Mohammad alias Mohammad Ali 'guilty,' the judge announced a 10-year jail sentence for raping daughter-in-law Imrana as also a 3-year jail term for threatening to kill her.

The court also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on Mohammad.

"Out of this money, Rs 8,000 would be given to Imrana," Government counsel Raj Bahadur Singh told rediff.com over telephone from Muzaffarnagar.

Singh said, "The judge, however, declared that both the imprisonments will be counted simultaneously. So effectively Ali Mohammad would have to spend 10 years in jail."

Imrana's lawyer Sita Ram said, "It is a great victory for Imrana who really had to battle it out against all kinds of odds and social humiliation in these 16 months."

He went on to add, "At last justice had prevailed and that too in a relatively lesser time than what was usually taken by Indian courts."

Neither Imrana nor her husband Noor Ilahi, a cycle-rickshaw puller, were present in or around the court on Thursday.

Imrana has been staying in her parental home ever since the Shariat court disentitled her to live with her husband. Strangely, the Islamic court had held that consequent to being raped by the father-in-law, Imarana ceased to be her husband Noor Ilahi's wife.

Instead she had acquired the status of Noor Ilahi's 'mother,' the Shariat court had said. The hapless woman had no option but to follow the diktat so far. Imrana has two daughters and three sons with the eldest child being just about 11.