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Journalism of Courage
Principal District and Sessions Judge Kishor Sonawane Thursday handed out two death penalties to convicts in the 2014 kidnapping and murder of eight-year-old Yug Chandak.
Yug, son of city-based doctor Mukesh Chandak, was kidnapped and murdered by Rajesh Daware and Arvind Singh on September 1, 2014. According to the prosecution, the two executed the crime to exact revenge against the doctor who had dismissed Daware (then 19), an employee in Chandak’s hospital, for misappropriating money. Chandak had also reprimanded Daware for scolding and slapping Yug who was playing a video game on a hospital computer. Daware hatched a conspiracy along with accomplice Arvind Singh, then 21, and kidnapped and killed Yug. The body of the boy was found near Patansawangi, about 30 km from the city.
Judge Sonawane found the two accused guilty on four counts — kidnapping for ransom, murder, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence. On the first two counts, the judge handed out death penalties and life imprisonment, and ordered a fine of Rs 10,000 each for criminal conspiracy and seven-year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 each for destruction of evidence. The sentences will run concurrently.
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The death sentence for kidnapping was in accordance with the amended Section 354A of the IPC, the judge said in his order.
Daware’s younger brother, who was 17 then, has been sent to the Juvenile Remand Board for his complicity in the case.
“You betrayed his trust for seeking revenge from his parents and mercilessly killed him out of greed for becoming rich. You then buried his body near nullah at Patansawangi and placed a big stone on it. This all proves your cruel mentality. The killing didn’t happen in spur of the moment, neither there was any provocation. It was, in fact, a deliberate and well-planned conspiracy hatched after thoughtful process that led to killing of an innocent child. This shows that the accused had no value for human life. Due to their heinous act, there was much resentment in the society while parents had started feeling insecure,” the judge said while delivering the verdict.
He added that mitigating circumstances like young age and no criminal antecedents cited by the defence to seek leniency wouldn’t stand in the wake of the diabolic killing that shook conscience of the society.
The packed courtroom witnessed expressions of joy as the judge pronounced the verdict, with people clapping and hailing the judgment. The judge had to order silence to continue the proceedings.
Mukesh Chandak later told mediapersons that he was satisfied by the verdict and thanked people for their support to the family, which he said, was instrumental in ensuring justice to his son.
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