Tamil Nadu: Techie gets death for rape and murder of 7-year-old

A 23-year-old techie was sentenced to death on Monday, the maximum punishment under law, by a court for the rape and murder of a seven-year old girl last year.

The Mahila Court in nearby Chengalpet also sentenced Dashwanth, an engineering graduate, to 46 years of rigorous imprisonment on different counts.

He had burnt the body of the girl, his neighbour, after he raped her on February 6, 2017, which drew widespread public outrage.

While out on bail in the rape and murder case, he had allegedly killed his mother and escaped with her jewellery in December before being caught in Mumbai. Proceedings in that case was pending.

The Mahila Court Judge Justice P Velmurugan held Dashwanth guilty on all charges under the Indian Penal Code and those under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act).

In the 135-page judgement, the judge referred to the Nirbhaya case in Delhi (in which a paramedic student was raped in December 2012 by a gang of six persons) and said that the instant case merited death sentence.

“There is no reason to award minimum punishment. If we don’t give maximum punishment, people will lose faith in the judiciary. There is every reason to award only maximum punishment …read more