HC confirms death to rapist

The Bombay High Court on Friday confirmed the death sentence awarded to a 22-year-old man from Bihar for the sexual abuse and murder of a minor girl stating that the convict is “a menace to society with no possibility of reform.”

The incident, that had shaken the state, took place on June 21, 2010, in Bedag village in Sangli district. The girl had gone missing from her home and her father, a labourer in the village, after not being able to trace his daughter, later in the day lodged a missing complaint. Enquiries by the police revealed that the girl was last seen with Paswan who used to live in the neighbourhood.

The prosecution later said during interrogation, Paswan admitted that after sexually abusing the girl, he killed her before dumping the corpse into a well. The sessions court last November sentenced Paswan to death, commenting:

“After satisfying his lust, the accused threw the girl into a well. An innocent girl was ravished by the accused for lust. When such cases are rampant then it is important a message should be sent among all the layers of society that such heinous crimes will end in extreme punishment.”

The high court bench comprising justices P VHardas and A MThipsay agreed with the session court’s view while confirming the death sentence.