India
Chhattisgarh Court Sentences Man to Death for Rape, Murder of Six-Year-Old Girl
A special court under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in Chhattisgarh's Durg district has sentenced a 24-year-old man to death for raping and murdering a six-year-old girl, describing the crime as falling among the "rarest of rare" cases.
The convict, identified as Somesh Yadav, was found guilty under Section 6(1) of the POCSO Act and Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertain to aggravated penetrative sexual assault and murder. The court, in its verdict delivered on Thursday, also imposed a fine of ₹5,000 under each of these sections.
Additionally, Yadav received five years of rigorous imprisonment along with a ₹1,000 fine under BNS Section 238(a), which addresses the destruction of evidence or providing false information. All sentences are to run concurrently.
The court also ordered a compensation of ₹7 lakh to be paid to the victim's family under the state government's victim compensation scheme.
According to case details, the girl had gone missing in April 2025 and was later found inside a vehicle. She was declared dead upon being taken to a hospital. A special investigation team examined the case, gathering physical, biological, and circumstantial evidence, along with CCTV footage, which led to Yadav's conviction.
The Supreme Court has previously upheld the constitutional validity of capital punishment in judgments delivered in 1973, 1979, and 1980, ruling that the death penalty may be imposed only in the "rarest of rare" cases where the law permits it and the judicial process is fair and just. Courts are required to provide specific reasoning when handing down such sentences.