Rajasthan POCSO court awards death sentence in gang-rape and murder case

Case officer scheme ensured fast submission of charge-sheet and a speedy trial

The death sentence awarded to two convicted rapists, who also murdered a 15-year-old victim, by a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in Bundi over the weekend, was based on the case officer scheme, which ensured fast submission of the charge-sheet and a speedy trial. The court considered it to be a “rarest of the rare” case because of brutalisation of the girl’s body.

The tribal girl was gang-raped and murdered in a forest area in Bundi district on December 23, 2021. The police cracked the blind case within 12 hours by arresting three persons after a night-long search operation, which ensured that the culprits could not escape from the forest area. The third accused was a minor.

This is the first case under the POCSO Act in Rajasthan, in which two convicts have been simultaneously sentenced to death. POCSO court judge Bal Krishan Mishra handed down the capital punishment to Sultan Bheel, 27, and Chotulal Bheel, 62, after recording the testimony of 22 witnesses and examining the evidence produced by the prosecution through 79 documents.

Bundi Superintendent of Police Jai Yadav said the forensic evidence was collected in a scientific manner and dog squads were used in the investigation. Since the probe was take up under the case officer scheme, a special public prosecutor was appointed to argue the case and the charge-sheet was filed within three working days. The judgment came within four months despite the court being closed for one-and-a-half months during the pandemic.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to Twitter to affirm that the State government was committed to the safety and security of women. “Justice to every victim has been ensured in Rajasthan because of the government’s initiatives. The POCSO courts have convicted 620 persons, including 137 who were given life imprisonment, and have sentenced eight convicts to death since our government assumed office,” Mr. Gehlot said.