In a historic judgment, a district court in Manipur on Tuesday passed the death penalty against a man accused of rape and murder of a four-year-old girl.

R David was convicted under Section 6 of POCSO Act and Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the verdict was announced by A Notuneshwari Devi. In December 2015, the convict had raped and murdered the four-year-old minor girl at a stable in the vicinity of Maram Kavanam Village.

After the registration of the case, an autopsy was conducted on the body of the deceased four-year old and the reports revealed that the victim had been sexually assaulted and later killed by strangulation.

The judge termed the case as 'rarest of the rare' and said, "There is no mitigating factor to deter in other alternative punishment. In my considered view, maximum punishment should be awarded and it should be an eye-opener for the society at large in order to prevent such brutal and heinous crime in our society." The court also recommended that mother of the victim be awarded Rs 25 lakh as compensation as per the National Legal Services Authority of India (NALSA).

This is the first time since Independence a judgment of this kind has been passed in Manipur. In most cases, the accused get bailed and then shot allegedly by insurgents.

(Featured image – The Indian Express)