Swift verdict in India rape case

A court in the Indian state of Rajasthan has sentenced the son of a top police official to seven years in prison for raping a German student.

The accused, B Mohanty, was also fined 10,000 rupees ($223; £128).

Mohanty's lawyer, Rajeev Bhargav, says his client is innocent and that they will appeal against the sentence in the Rajasthan High Court.

The trial, which was completed in 10 working days, is one of the fastest in India's usually slow legal system.

The German student was raped in the Rajasthan town of Alwar last month, where she had travelled with Mohanty.

Mohanty was arrested after the German sent text messages to her friends back home in Berlin.

They informed the German embassy in Delhi who in turn called the police.

The student has since returned to Germany.

Swift justice

This is the second such conviction in a year handed out by special fast-track courts.

Last year, a similar court handed out a life sentence to two men in Rajasthan for abducting and raping a German tourist.

Earlier this month, a court in Mumbai (Bombay) sentenced a former Indian policeman to 12 years in prison for raping a teenager at a police check post.

The case caused a public outcry in Mumbai, especially as it took place in a busy and popular area by the sea.

Both trials were unusually swift for India, where courts often take years to hand out verdicts.