INDIA: MAN GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR RAPING AND MURDERING 7-YEAR-OLD GIRL

A special POCSO court on 21 October 2021 awarded capital punishment to a man for murdering a 7-year-old girl after raping her in Nagaur district of Rajasthan. The court termed the case as one of the ‘rarest of the rare’ crimes and awarded the death penalty. The trial was completed in 30 days.
The court of judge Rakha Rathore in Nagaur sentenced one Dinesh Jat, 20, to death on 21 October in the case of the rape and murder of 7-year-old girl. The court reserved the decision as the special public prosecutor sought capital publishment for the crime. The trial was held on a day-to-day basis for 11 days. The court convicted Dinesh relying on 29 prosecution witnesses.
The girl used to call Dinesh mama (maternal uncle). The incident took place in Pandukala police station area on 20 September. Dinesh pretending to be under influence of intoxicants scared the girl on the pretext of dangerous dogs in the neighbourhood and offered to drop her home. He took her to a nearby agriculture farm where he offered her biscuits and snakes. He then raped her. Fearing identification, he murdered her and hid her body in the bushes.
Dinesh was arrested immediately after the crime based on the statements provided by eye-witnesses and other evidence and booked him under various sections of POCSO Act and IPC for kidnapping and murder. The chargesheet was filed in 6 days.