Bokaro, May 22: The additional district judge I Mahendra Jha today gave life sentences to 22 persons in the gangrape of 15-year-old girl Monica of St Xavier’s School in April 1999.

Of these, six have been sentenced for plotting the abduction of the minor.

Besides life imprisonment, the court has directed the 16 rapists to pay a compensation of Rs 25,000 each whereas six others have been directed to pay a compensation of 20,000 each to be paid to the parents of the victim, Chandra Prabha Prasad and Gaya Prasad. The compensation amount would be for the treatment of Monica, who is fighting for survival.

This is the first judgment of the country when a rape victim has been given compensation for treatment and the rapists and conspirators being sentenced life imprisonment with such conditions, court sources said.

The persons who have been found guilty under IPC 366,34, 376, 2G/34, and 120B include Yunus Ansari, Abbas Ansari, Talib Ansari, Noor Alam Ansari, Mansoor Ansari, Sirajuddin Ansari, Habib Ansari, Anwar, Islam Ansari, Feroz Shah, Abdul Sattar, Gaffar Ansari, Momin Akhtar, Saiyuum Ansari and Khadim Hussain who is still absconding.

The other six who have been sentenced for plotting the abduction of the girl include Muzib Ansari, Shabbir Shah, Iqbal Shah, Quazi Rizwan, Pramod Pillai and Mani Swamy

Monica, now 20 years old, is mentally retarded and unable to walk or move on her own.

She can never lead a normal life nor become a mother said a police officer who went to record her statement on the directive of the court.

On 5 April 1999, Monica, daughter of a senior assistant general manager of Bokaro Steel plant, a student of Class XII, was kidnapped by half a dozen youths and taken to a place called Bharra.

Sixteen persons, aged between 22 and 55, raped the girl at a secluded place and later dumped her at a isolated spot, taking her to be dead.

Monica, a karateka was kidnapped after she thrashed a local police officer’s nephew, who tried to misbehave with her, sources said.

Court sources said, the next morning after the rape, Monica somehow managed to reach a local resident who immediately admitted her to Bokaro General Hospital and the police was informed about it.

But the incident took an ugly turn when Bokaro DSP Mohammad Nihal reported to the then SP V.G.Deshmukh that it was a fake case.

When the incident was reported with the photographs of the girl in the newspaper the next day, thousands of residents started a mass agitation in the city for the arrest of the guilty persons.

Due to the public unrest and arson in the city, curfew was clamped for three days and the then IG Jyoti Kumar Sinha started the manhunt for the culprits in which 21 persons were arrested.

After a DNA test, it was confirmed that all 16 persons were involved in the rape incident.

When the court deputed a police officer to record Monica’s statement, it was reported to the court that the rape victim had virtually turned into a lump of flesh, as she was mentally in a shock, unable to talk or react.

Even the doctors attending on her said Monica will never be able to lead a normal life again.