Death penalty for rapist of 3-year-old girl: Pune court calls crime ‘rarest of rare’

Pune: Calling the crime a shocking example of human depravity, a special court in Pune on Monday sentenced a 65-year-old man to death for the rape and murder of a three-year-old girl, ruling that the case falls within the "rarest of rare" category.

The judgment, delivered less than two months after the crime, marks one of the fastest conclusions to a child rape and murder case in Maharashtra in recent years. The court had convicted the accused, Bhimrao Kamble, on June 25 and pronounced the sentence on Monday.

The case had triggered widespread outrage across the state after the three-year-old victim was abducted from Nasrapur village in Pune district on May 1.

According to the prosecution, Kamble lured the child by offering her snacks and promising to show her a newborn calf. He then allegedly took her to a shed near a cattle barn, where she was sexually assaulted before being killed.

While announcing the death sentence, Additional Judge S R Salunkhe said the brutality of the offence left no room for leniency. The court observed that the victim was an innocent and helpless child who was subjected to inhuman treatment and torture.

Describing the offence as cold-blooded and calculated, the judge said the murder was committed solely to satisfy the accused's lust and reflected complete moral depravity.

"The crime was committed so brutally that it shocks not only the judicial conscience but even the conscience of society," the court observed while imposing capital punishment.

The defence had urged the court to consider Kamble's age as a mitigating circumstance. However, the court rejected the plea and held that his age worked against him rather than in his favour.

In a strongly worded observation, Judge Salunkhe said the accused's conduct demonstrated that his criminal tendencies had reached a dangerous level despite being 65 years old. Referring to the injuries suffered by the child, the court said the offence revealed extraordinary cruelty and inhumanity.

The judge further noted that the accused appeared unconcerned about the consequences of his actions and acted with extreme violence. The order also referred to his previous involvement in offences concerning a 62-year-old woman, a 17-year-old girl and an animal.

Prosecutors argued that the pattern of conduct showed the accused was beyond reform and therefore deserved the maximum punishment available under law.

Special Public Prosecutor Ajay Misar described the verdict as a landmark judgment. He said the prosecution relied on a series of Supreme Court rulings to establish that the case satisfied the legal requirements for awarding the death penalty under the "rarest of rare" doctrine.

Misar said the prosecution successfully proved charges of kidnapping, sexual assault, rape and murder, in addition to offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The trial moved at an unusually rapid pace. According to the prosecution, statements from 10 witnesses, including child witnesses, were recorded in a single day. The court completed the process from the crime to conviction and sentencing within roughly 60 days.

Emotions ran high inside the courtroom as the sentence was pronounced, with members of the victim's family breaking down after hearing the verdict.

Reacting to the judgment, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis welcomed the court's decision and said such offenders have no place in society. He also praised the police and prosecution teams for conducting the investigation and trial proceedings in record time.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the verdict would send a strong warning to those who target children and credited investigators for gathering evidence that helped secure a swift conviction.

Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar said the ruling had strengthened public confidence in the justice system and delivered justice to the victim's family. Calling the convict's actions cruel and perverse, she said the judgment would reinforce the deterrent effect of the law.