19-yr-old gets death penalty for rape-murder of minor in Bengal

On Thursday, the POCSO court of Additional District Judge Subrata Chattopadhyay convicted the accused – Mustakin Sardar – under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 65 (rape), 66 (punishment for causing death or resulting in a persistent vegetative state of the victim), and 103 (murder), besides the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The court also directed that a compensation of Rs 10 lakh be provided to the victim’s family.

The court on Friday handed down the death penalty to the convict, describing the case as “rarest of rare”.

The police filed the chargesheet on October 30 and the trial, which began on November 5, was completed in just 21 days. The incident, which happened amid the protests over the rape and murder of the doctor at the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, led to violent protests in the area. Vehicles were torched, a police outpost was ransacked and roads were blocked by the protesters.

Special Public Prosecutor Bivas Chatterjee, who fought the case, said the verdict “may set a precedent in annals of the country’s criminal jurisprudence given the swiftness with which investigation and trial were held.”

“In a sharply polarised atmosphere over the RG Kar rape and murder case where demands for justice remain a talking point, this verdict would prove that not everything is wrong in Bengal’s police and justice system…,” said Chatterjee.

– With PTI inputs