BAHRAICH: A court here Monday awarded the death penalty to a 30-year-old man for raping and killing a toddler, a case in which the hearing was completed and the judgment delivered in less than two months.
Additional Sessions Judge (Rape and Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Act) Nitin Pandey awarded the punishment to Parashuram (30) for raping and killing the girl at a village in Nanpara area on June 22, Special District Government Counsel- POCSO Act, Sant Pratap Singh told PTI.
The incident took place when the one-and-a-half-year-old child was sleeping in an open courtyard and the man picked her up and raped her at a deserted school-building nearby.
According to the details of the case, when the girl's parents did not find her, they started looking for her and spotted her at the school-building, bleeding profusely.
The man was also with the victim and was caught by the villagers and handed over to the police.
The girl was admitted to hospital where she died, the counsel said.
A case under charges of murder and provisions of the POCSO Act was lodged against the man.
He tried to escape the police custody while being taken to a court, but was overpowered after being shot in the leg.
Superintendent of Police Sujata Singh said the police had filed the chargesheet within 28 days.
Counsel Singh said the court completed the hearing in 10 days and reserved judgement.