The Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento will hear oral arguments today in the Yolo County case of Ajay Kumar Dev, a former Davis man serving a 378-year prison sentence after being convicted of sexually assaulting his adoptive daughter.
A Yolo County jury convicted Dev of 76 felony charges including forcible rape, forcible digital penetration, lewd acts on a minor and dissuading a witness, in connection with alleged acts that authorities said occurred between 1999 and 2004, starting after Dev and his wife adopted the girl, a distant niece, from her native Nepal when she was 15 years old
Supporters of Dev say he was wrongfully accused and convicted. His appellate attorneys claim the teen accused Dev of rape after he interfered with her dating relationships and caused her breakup with a boyfriend, and that the 2009 trial was fraught with errors that denied Dev his right to a fair proceeding.
Oral arguments in the case were scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at the Third Appellate District Courthouse, 914 Capitol Mall, followed by a march and vigil by Dev’s supporters outside the courthouse from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.