Rapist awarded death sentence: MP CM hails verdict

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on Saturday, hailed the Indore District Court's decision to award the death penalty to the man who raped and murdered a four-month-old girl in Rajwada.

"I welcome the decision. Such predators do not have the right to live. They aren't humans. I'm saddened by the loss of our daughter but satisfied that justice has been done," Chauhan said.

On Saturday, The Indore district court pronounced a death sentence for the convict in the case. The district court announced life term for rape under the POCSO Act and death sentence for murder.

In a first, the court had passed its verdict in just 21 days.

The incident took place on the intervening night of April 18 and 19. The infant was raped and her body was recovered soaked in blood from the basement of a building.

Analysing the brutality of the case, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Harinarayanachari Mishra, had formed a Special Investigation Team to investigate the matter.

Sonu Bai, the victim's mother had demanded that the convict, Naveen Gadge, be executed at the earliest.

Taking cognizance of such crimes, President Ram Nath Kovind, on April 22, promulgated the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018, for effective deterrence against the commission of rape.

The ordinance seeks the death penalty for the rapists of girls below 12 years of age and stringent punishment for perpetrators of rape particularly of girls below 16 years, thereby strengthening the POCSO Act.