19-year-old sentenced to death for rape under new Rajasthan law

A 19-year-old was Saturday sentenced to death for raping a seven-month-old baby in Rajasthan this year, police said.

According to Director General of Police O.P. Galhotra, this comes as the first death sentence in Rajasthan after the state assembly brought in a tougher law against sexual abuse on April 21, making provisions for death penalty to those convicted of raping minors' rape under 12 years.

The accused identified as Pintu was awarded death sentence by Special Judge Jagendra Agrawal on Saturday, he said

Addressing a press conference, Additional Director General of Police Hemant Priyadarshi said that victim's father had lodged a case of rape in Laxmangarh police station on May 9.

According to the father, his daughter was sleeping with her grandmother who happened to be blind, when Pintu took her with him that evening on the pretext of playing with her. "After half an hour, we heard the kid crying at the football field and rushing there, found her bleeding profusely. Pintu had run leaving her in pathetic plight," he said in his complaint.

Soon arresting Pintu, police had filed a case under the necessary sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and completed the investigation with 27 days and presented the matter before the court.

The court convicted the accused on Wednesday and sounded the sentence on Saturday.

--IANS

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