"Extreme cruelty": Court awards death penalty to 65-year-old accused in rape, murder of 3-year-old girl
A special fast-track court in Pune on Monday sentenced a man to death for the rape and murder of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl in Maharashtra's Nasrapur.
The court delivered its verdict just 60 days after the crime in one of the swiftest conclusions to a child sexual assault case in recent years.
Special Judge S.R. Salunke held Bhimrao Kamble guilty under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, rape and murder.
The accused was convicted four days earlier and the court reserved its order on sentencing, which was pronounced on Monday.
Describing the case as falling within the "rarest of rare" category, the court said the brutality of the crime warranted the death penalty.
In its observations, the judge said the accused continued to sexually assault the child even after her death and noted that the victim's body bore 18 injuries, reflecting what the court described as extreme cruelty.
The court further said that even capital punishment appeared "insufficient" considering the nature of the offence.
The prosecution completed the trial at an accelerated pace after police filed the chargesheet within 16 days of the incident. During the proceedings, government prosecutors examined more than 55 witnesses and relied on forensic, medical and circumstantial evidence to establish the prosecution's case.
References were made to several landmark judgments, including the Nirbhaya case, Shankar Khade case, and Bashar Ali case, while citing 12 other death penalty precedents.
The court delivered its verdict just 60 days after the crime in one of the swiftest conclusions to a child sexual assault case in recent years.
Special Judge S.R. Salunke held Bhimrao Kamble guilty under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, rape and murder.
The accused was convicted four days earlier and the court reserved its order on sentencing, which was pronounced on Monday.
Describing the case as falling within the "rarest of rare" category, the court said the brutality of the crime warranted the death penalty.
In its observations, the judge said the accused continued to sexually assault the child even after her death and noted that the victim's body bore 18 injuries, reflecting what the court described as extreme cruelty.
The prosecution completed the trial at an accelerated pace after police filed the chargesheet within 16 days of the incident. During the proceedings, government prosecutors examined more than 55 witnesses and relied on forensic, medical and circumstantial evidence to establish the prosecution's case.
