‘Rarest of rare crime’: Court awards death sentence to UP man for rape, murder of 4-year-old child
The accused has been convicted and awarded a death sentence under Section 302 (murder) of IPC and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).
3 min read
The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 5.50 lakh on the accused and ordered that the amount would be further paid to the parents of the victim. The court has also ordered another Rs 10 lakh as compensation for the family of the victim.A court in Ludhiana Thursday awarded death sentence to a 28-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh after holding him guilty of rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in 2023.
Stating that the case falls in the “rarest of rare” category, the court of additional sessions judge Amar Jeet Singh said, “The circumstances establish the depraved act of the accused and they call for only one sentence — death sentence”.
“The victim was an innocent girl, defenceless and unprotected. The despicable nature of the offence shocks the conscience of the entire society. Even in ordinary criminal terminology, rape is a crime more heinous than murder as it destroys the very soul of a hapless woman. Such criminals are a danger to society and are beyond reformation and rehabilitation. Any lesser sentence would do grave injustice not only to the victim and her family, but to the collective conscience of the society as well,” read the judgment.
The sentence is subject to confirmation from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, read the judgement.
As per the police case, On December 28, 2023, Sonu Singh, 28, had lured the minor into a room after giving her a chocolate. The accused was known to the family of the victim and was living in her neighborhood. After raping and killing the child, he hid her body in a bed box and fled. An FIR in the case was registered a day later at Daba police station of Ludhiana after the body was found.
Almost 20 days later, Sonu Singh was arrested from Fatehpur of Uttar Pradesh, where he had fled after the crime.
Police in its chargesheet submitted that when the girl’s body was found, blood was coming out from her private parts and there were scratch marks on her neck. Further, the CCTV camera had captured the accused taking her away.
Police further submitted that the autopsy report confirmed the cause of death as asphyxia due to throttling. The report also confirmed rape. Further, the DNA of the accused matched with the vaginal swabs confirming that she was brutally murdered after rape.
The convict has been awarded death sentence under the section 302 (murder) of IPC and section 6 of the Protection of Children from sexual offences Act (POCSO). The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5.50 lakh on the convict and ordered that the amount be paid to the parents of the victim. The court also ordered another Rs 10 lakh as compensation for the family of the victim.
Yogesh Prasad, an advocate cum child rights activist, said that the family of the victim has finally got justice. “We supported the family morally and helped them in getting legal aid as they belong to a very poor background. They had no support to fight this legal battle,” he said.
You May Like
Photos
