4 Men Sentenced to Life in Mumbai Rape Case

Police escort one of the four men convicted of raping a photojournalist outside a jail in Mumbai, March 21, 2014.

An Indian court has sentenced four men to life imprisonment for raping a call-center operator last year.

Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said the Mumbai court delivered the maximum punishment Friday.

Three of the four men are also awaiting sentencing in another rape case involving a photojournalist on assignment in the city last year.

Nikam said he might seek the death penalty for the three because they are repeat offenders. A fourth man involved in the rape is facing life imprisonment. The sentence in the photojournalist's rape had also been expected Friday, but has been delayed until Monday.

A fifth person accused in the photojournalist's rape is a teenager and is being tried separately in a juvenile court.

Violence against women has received increased attention in India recently. Reports of several gang rapes, including one that resulted in the death of a student in late 2012, have at times brought protesters to the streets, calling for greater law enforcement and tougher punishments for men who harass and attack women.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.