The court has framed charges against Mohiniraj Yashwant Kulkarni (79),who had allegedly raped and murdered 10-year-old Rohini Randive at his bungalow in Narayan Peth on October 14,last year. Additional sessions judge U S Thakare has charged Kulkarni under Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act),Indian Penal Code sections 302 (murder),376 (rape),201 (causing disappearance of evidence) and 182 (providing false information). The trial will begin next month. The deceased girls mother,Rekha Anil Randive (28) has been made approver in the case after the court accepted her approvers application last month. Rekha was working as a domestic maid with Kulkarni. Her confessional statement has already been recorded before the court during investigations. Rekha was charged for destroying evidence in the case. Police investigations had revealed that the accused Mohiniraj Yashwant Kulkarni had molested Rohini a month before she was murdered. Investigations revealed that Kulkarni had molested Rohini a month before. When the child complained about it to Rekha and her grandmother,Rekha had a wod with Kulkarni. She was silenced by Kulkarni that time by offering a salary hike, said Fargude. Rohini,who stayed in the Ambil Odha slums was found raped and murdered in Kulkarnis bungalow. Kulkarnis wife Mrunalini is bedridden for the past couple of years. Police had said that Rohini,a fourth standard student in a local school,had accompanied her mother to Kulkarni's house. She was playing on the premises of the house around noon,when a doctor had come to check on Kulkarnis wife. Rekha had gone out to fetch her tiffin box after this. When Rekha returned around 1 pm she could not find her daughter. She found Rohini lying lifeless on the terrace of the house. Rekha called Kulkarni and took the girl to Poona Hospital,where she was pronounced dead. Kulkarni had tried to mislead Rekha by tying Rohini with her dupatta making it look like the girl had accidently strangulated herself. However,when Rekha got suspicious,Kulkarni confessed to her. She helped him in wiping off the blood stains and even changed Rohinis clothes, Fargude said quoting the charge-sheet.
