Death sentence for 64-year-old Bhimrao Kamble in Pune child rape and murder case; court terms the ‘rarest of the rare’ | Today’s news
A special court in Pune on Monday awarded death sentence to a 65-year-old man convicted of abducting, raping and murdering a three-year-old girl in Nasrapur village, saying the case falls under the “rarest of the rare” category.
The court said that Bhimrao Kamble should be “hanged till death”, with the evidence clearly establishing aggravating circumstances in favor of the prosecution.
Last week, the Special Court for the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) found Kamble guilty of raping and murdering the child. In its judgment, the court said the prosecution had proved his guilt beyond reasonable doubt through a consistent chain of circumstantial and forensic evidence.
“The offenses involve the commission of serious crimes such as murder and rape by an accused with a prior record and substantial history of serious assault,” the court said.
The victim’s family broke up in court as the judge handed down the death sentence.
The court sentenced Kamble on June 25, within 60 days of the May 1 crime.
“No room for reformation”
After his conviction, Kamble continued to deny any involvement in the crime. While reserving a sentencing order until June 29, the court noted: “The defendant has shown no signs of remorse or potential for reform. The only appropriate sentence is death.”
According to the indictment, Kamble lured the three-and-a-half-year-old girl on May 1 with snacks and a promise to show her a newborn cub before taking her to a cattle shed where he sexually assaulted and murdered her.
“The crime was committed in a heinous manner and involved inhumane treatment and torture of the victim. The victim was an innocent, helpless child. The murder was committed to satisfy lust, which shows utter depravity. It was a cold-blooded murder without provocation. The crime was committed so brutally that it shocks not only the conscience of the judges but even the conscience of the society,” observed another judge SR Salunkhe.
The court ruled that Kamble’s advanced age could not be considered a mitigating factor and instead treated it as an aggravating factor in sentencing.
“The accused’s thirst for lust will not be quenched even at such an age. Rather, it has reached a very dangerous stage. The injuries recorded on the victim’s body reflect the inhumane behavior of the accused with a three-year-old child,” stated the judge.
The judge further stated that the accused committed the crime without regard to its consequences. According to the court, he acted “fearlessly, most violently and without bothering himself with consequences, because he had previous experience that even if he was prosecuted, nothing would happen in court”.
(With inputs from news agency)
