POCSO court awards death sentence to man for raping, murdering minor

Rajasthan POSCO courts award death and life sentences to two convicts in separate cases involving minors.

A POCSO court in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar awarded death sentence to a man who raped and murdered a seven year old after abducting her while she played outside her home on July 27, 2018. In another case, Kota POSCO court awarded life sentence to another minor’s rapist.

Rajasthan courts sentenced two men accused in two separate cases involving minors to death and life terms. (Representative Photo)

Jhalawar POCSO court judge Prem Prakash Gupta also slapped a fine of ₹30,000 on the 23-year-old convict, Komal Lodha, who had waylaid the minor to a nearby field where he raped and strangulated her to muffle her cries that could have alerted the villagers. Her body was recovered from the field by the cops, Lodha was arrested three days later.

In another case, a POCSO court in Kota handed out life sentence to a man convicted of raping a minor in 2013 but his brother Akash, who had molested and beaten up the minor, was let-off due to lack of evidence.

Special public prosecutor Vijay Kachawah said the girl used to tie Rakhi to the convict, Umesh, who betrayed her trust. Umesh Mehada was also slapped with a fine of ₹35,000 by judge Narendra Sharma, said Kachawah.

The rape case came to light only when the minor disclosed it in her follow-up statement to a 2013 complaint by her uncle against Umesh and Akash, accusing them of teasing and beating the girl.

The girl then revealed that Umesh had raped her nine months ago and taken photos which he threatened to make public if she protested.