Pune: 65-year-old man sentenced to death for raping, murdering 3-year-old girl

ASpecial shelter of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) move margaret court on mon sentenced a 65-year-old adult male to death for the rape and murder of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl in Nasrapur near Pune in May, saying the case falls within the “rarest of rare” category warranting hanging until death.Special Judge SR Salunkhe said the prosecution established an “unbroken chain of circumstantial and forensic evidence” proving Bhimrao Kamble’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. He added the evidence established aggravating circumstances in favour of the prosecution. “The offences relate to the commission of serious crimes like murder and rape by an accused with a prior record and a substantial history of serious assault,” said the court, which convicted Kamble on June 25, within sixty days of the rape and murder on May 1.Judge Salunkhe said the cold-blooded murder deeply shocked both the judicial and social conscience. He added Kamble was driven by “unbridled lust” and acted with extreme ferocity, leaving behind horrific injuries that reflected completely inhuman behaviour.“The satisfaction of lust was the only motive,” the court said. It added that Kamble appeared to have acted with a sense of complete impunity. “He seemed to believe, based on his past crime history, that even if he was prosecuted, nothing would happen to him.”Kamble lured the girl with the promise of snacks and showing a newborn calf in Nasrapur. He took her to a shed near a cattle barn, subjected her to sexual and unnatural assault, and subsequently murdered her by gagging her and inflicting chest injuries.“The offence was committed outrageously and involved inhuman treatment and torture of the victim. The victim was an innocent, helpless child. The murder was committed to satisfy lust, which evidences total depravity. It was a cold-blooded murder without provocation.”Judge Salunkhe cited that the sheer magnitude of the crime, the innocence of the toddler, and the horrifying details in the post-mortem reports and photographs, and said it firmly placed the matter in the “rarest of rare” category.“It was only and only the accused committing the crime... The manner of the commission, the motive, and the barbaric magnitude leave no room for leniency. More stringent punishment than death cannot be provided under the law,” the court said.The court praised the coordination between the law enforcement and judicial machinery. Investigating agencies gathered evidence and submitted the charge sheet promptly during the court’s summer vacation.“This case stands as an exception in how investigating agencies and legal counsel coordinated with each other,” the court said. “This is a standard that should happen in every criminal case.”The court noted that there were no mitigating circumstances in this case, probably because they were unavailable. “The only circumstance that could be posed is the age of the accused, 65 ...this cannot be taken as mitigating. Rather, it is aggravating.”Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis welcomed the verdict, praising the police and prosecution. “The judiciary has delivered the right decision, and such criminals have no right to remain in society.” Fadnavis thanked the court and congratulated the Pune district police superintendent and public prosecutor for successfully handling the case. He spoke to them over the phone and praised the investigation agencies for completing the trial in record time.