A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act court in Chhattisgarh’s Durg has sentenced a 24-year-old man to death for raping and murdering a six-year-old girl, calling the case among the “rarest of rare”.
Supreme Court Upholds Death Penalty in Context of Recent Conviction
On Thursday, a special court convicted Somesh Yadav under the POCSO Act Section 6(1) and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Section 103(1) for aggravated penetrative sexual assault and murder. He was fined ₹ 5,000 for each offense.
This conviction comes against the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s affirmation of the constitutional validity of the death penalty in 1973, 1979, and 1980. The Court has maintained that capital punishment is permissible if enshrined in law and if the sentencing process is fair, just, and reasonable. However, a death sentence can only be imposed in the “rarest of rare” cases, and courts must provide special reasons for such a sentence.
Court Awards ₹7 Lakh to Victim’s Family
A court has ordered a compensation of ₹7 lakh to be paid to the family of a girl under the state government’s victim compensation scheme. This decision aims to provide financial support to the family following the tragic incident involving the girl.
Conviction in Missing Girl Case
A girl who was reported missing in April 2025 was found dead in a vehicle and later pronounced dead at a hospital. Yadav has been convicted of her murder based on a combination of physical and biological evidence, CCTV footage, and circumstantial evidence. The case was thoroughly investigated by a special investigation team, which led to the conviction.
