BHOPAL: The MP High Court has commuted the death penalty of a 20-year-old tribal man convicted of rape in Khandwa district, reducing his sentence to 25 years of imprisonment. In 2023, a trial court had found him guilty of raping and attempting to murder a 4-year-old girl.
Hearing the petition challenging the April 2023 Khandwa district’s Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act court’s order rendering the youth death sentence, a two-judge bench of Justices Vivek Agrawal and Devnarayan Mishra held that though raping a four-year-old innocent child and strangling her and throwing her in a deserted place is a cruel act, considering the family background of the youth, the death sentence is not appropriate.
“Hence, the sentence imposed upon the appellant for the offence punishable under Sections 363, 450, 307, 201 of the Indian Penal Code is affirmed, but his sentence for the offence punishable under Sections 6 of the POCSO Act is converted from capital punishment to the rigorous imprisonment of 25 years with the fine amount of Rs 10,000…”
‘Sentence not apt’
The court said though raping a girl is cruel, considering the family background of the youth, the death sentence is not appropriate.
25 year RI & Rs 10,000 fine
His sentence has been converted from capital punishment to an RI of 25 years with a fine of Rs 10,000.