27-yr-old convicted for teen’s murder

Rajkot: A 27-year-old man, who had brutally killed a Class XI girl by stabbing her 34 times in a village near Rajkot two years ago, was convicted of the crime by the sessions court in Gondal.
On March 16, 2021, Jayesh Sarvaiya barged into the house of victim Shrusti Raiyani when her parents were away and went on a stabbing spree. Raiyani and Sarvaiya lived in Jetalsar village near Jetpur town of Rajkot district. He also stabbed her brother Harsh five times but the latter fled and took refuge in a neighbouring house.
Sarvaiya was forcing 16-year-old Shrusti to marry him and even stalked her when she went to school.
Sessions court judge RR Chowdhary, who convicted Sarvaiya after a marathon proceeding late on Tuesday night, will announce the quantum of punishment today.
Special public prosecutor Janak Patel told TOI: “This is a rarest of rare case.. as horrific and painful as the Nirbhaya case. We will seek death for Sarvaiya.”
During the trial, 51 witnesses were examined and police filed a 216-page chargesheet.
The prosecution also proved that the murder was pre-planned as Sarvaiya went all the way to Chotila town, some 40 km from Rajkot, to purchase a knife all the way to Chotila town, some 40 km from Rajkot, to purchase a knife that he used in the crime 12 days later. The owner of the shop also testified in court.
After killing Shrusti, an unrepentant Sarvaiya walked in full public view with blood-soaked clothes and a knife.
The horrific killing had left the Patidar community seething and top politicians including Hardik Patel, who was then in the Congress and state BJP president CR Paatil, then minister and Jetpur MLA Jayesh Radadiya, had also visited the victim’s house.
The community members had vociferously sought a fast-track court to bring the accused to the books.