INDIA: DEATH SENTENCE FOR RAPE AND MURDER OF 5 YEAR OLD

the Indian Supreme Court sentenced a man, identified as Bantu, to death for raping and murdering a five year old girl and attempting to cover up the crime as an accident. A Bench consisting of Justices Arijit Pasayat and M.K. Sharma asked trial courts and High Courts to award exemplary punishment for offences against women. Bantu was awarded death sentence by an Agra trial court for raping and killing a child. On appeal, the Allahabad High Court confirmed the death sentence. Dismissing his appeal, the Supreme Court pointed out that “in order to camouflage the rape, the appellant mercilessly inserted a wooden stick deep inside the fragile vagina of the girl to the extent of 33 cm to cause her death, with a view to masquerading the crime as an accident. The depraved acts of the accused call for only one sentence, that is death sentence.”