HC upholds life sentence of man who murdered girl

The Calcutta High Court on Friday upheld the life sentence given to a man by a trial court in Bankura district for the murder of a girl who resisted his sexual advances seven years ago.

Rejecting an appeal by Partha Mondal, a division bench comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and Suvra Ghosh upheld his conviction and sentence by the Bankura district and sessions court for stabbing the 17-year-old girl to death at Sonamukhi in July, 2012.

The girl, who was to appear for her higher secondary examination in 2013, was going for private tuition along with her 12-year-old cousin around 6 am.

The girl was accosted by Mondal on the way and was taken to a nearby field, where he tried to sexually assault her, prosecution counsel Sanjay Bardhan said.

Mondal attacked her with a knife when she resisted his sexual advances and stabbed her in the neck and hand.

Her brother ran back to their house and called her parents, who took her to a hospital.

The girl later died at the hospital.

The police arrested Mondal who was convicted by the trial court in 2015 for murder.

The 12-year-old boy was the main witness in the case and gave consistent account of the incident, which were corroborated by other witnesses and evidence, Bardhan told the high court.

Opposing the appeal, Bardhan said the fact that Mondal was carrying a knife which was used to stab the girl, indicated that it was a premeditated murder.