Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Feb 8: The Karnataka High Court has upheld the death sentence awarded by a Sessions Court to three men convicted of the brutal gang-rape and murder of a minor girl in Mangaluru.
A division bench headed by Justice HP Sandesh confirmed the capital punishment while hearing a criminal referred case filed by the state government and appeals filed by the convicts seeking to overturn their sentence.
The convicts have been identified as Jayaban Adivasi alias Jayasingh and Mukesh Singh from Madhya Pradesh, and Manish Tirkey from Jharkhand. Another individual, Sita Rantu Lohar, was also involved in the legal proceedings.
'Conscience of society shaken'
In its judgment, the High Court bench observed that reducing the sentence for such a heinous crime would send a wrong message to society and encourage similar atrocities.
The bench remarked that the convicts lured a girl aged seven years and seven months on the pretext of buying her snacks to satisfy their lust. They took turns raping her before strangling her and dumping her body in a drain. This shocking incident has shaken not just the judiciary, but the collective conscience of society, the court noted.
Background of the case
The horrific incident occurred on November 21, 2021, near Vamanjoor in Mangaluru. The convicts were laborers at a local tiles factory. The victim was the daughter of a woman who worked at the same factory.
According to the prosecution, the accused lured the child to their room under the guise of giving her sweets. One accused committed unnatural sex, while the others raped her. To conceal the crime, they strangled the girl to death and threw her body into a nearby drain.
Following a complaint by the victim's mother and a subsequent police investigation, the Additional District and Sessions Court (POCSO) in Dakshina Kannada had previously sentenced the trio to death and imposed a fine of Rs 40,000 each. With the High Court now dismissing the convicts' appeals, the trial court’s order for execution stands confirmed.