By Sumesh Rajan | June 5, 2025, 10:30 IST
Chandigarh, INDIA: In a landmark verdict, a special fast-track court in Chandigarh has sentenced a 40-year-old man to death for the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl, marking the city’s first capital punishment in a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The convict, Hira Lal alias Guddu, was found guilty of abducting, raping and murdering the minor in January 2024. According to court findings, the child had left her home in Hallomajra on January 19 to buy items from a nearby shop and never returned. A search operation led to the discovery of her body on January 22, dumped near a garbage site in the Ram Darbar area, wrapped in a white sheet.
The post-mortem report confirmed repeated sexual assault, nine distinct injury marks, and fatal wounds caused by a sharp weapon. Evidence recovered from a nearby house, including blood-stained bedding, a knife, and the girl's slippers, pointed to Lal, who had fled the city. He was apprehended a week later in Bihar.
The court, presided over by Additional Sessions Judge Yashika, convicted Lal under IPC Sections 201, 302, 363, 366, 376, 376(3), 376AB, 511 and Section 6 of the POCSO Act. DNA analysis and CCTV footage were pivotal in securing the conviction.
"The actions of the convict reflect an absence of remorse and a continuing threat to society. He shows no potential for reformation. The only appropriate punishment is the death penalty," Judge Yashika observed while pronouncing the sentence on June 3, 2025.
The Chandigarh administration has also been directed to pay Rs 17 lakhs (approximately USD 20,000) as compensation to the victim’s family.
Prosecuting counsel Advocate Kamlesh Malik argued for the maximum sentence: “A man who inflicted such cruelty on a child deserves no leniency. The punishment should serve as a deterrent for others.”
Police investigations revealed that Lal, a native of Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, was living under the radar in Chandigarh. He had two wives, neither of whom was aware of the other’s existence, and is the father of five children.
As per legal procedure, the death sentence will now be sent to the Punjab and Haryana High Court for confirmation before it can be carried out.
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