Srinagar, Mar 14: A Sessions court here on Tuesday sentenced a man to life imprisonment after he was convicted for rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl at Rajbagh here in 2007.
Court Of 2nd Additional Sessions Judge, Srinagar besides awarding life term to the convict, Zahoor Ahmad Sheikh of Akhrajpora Rajbagh Srinagar also sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment of seven years for “kidnapping” and ten years rigorous imprisonment for “rape”.The sentences shall run concurrently,” the court said.
As per the prosecution, the investigation found that Sheikh, who happens to be distant cousin of the victim, was putting up in the same house where the family of the deceased lives.
On 23 August 2007, the prosecution said, the accused followed the victim when she was sent by her father to bring bread from a nearby shop. Sheikh lured her to a nearby vacant migrant house where he committed the hennious offences of rape and murder by striking the bricks on her head and also tried to burn her body.
Subsequently, the chargesheet was filed before the court and the trial culminated in the conviction of Sheikh.
“It is established that the accused (Sheikh) at the time of occurrence was a grown up aged more than 20 years. He has committed the heinous and barbarous crime of rape and murder of a girl aged about 7 to 10 years who was not so much healthy,” the court said.
“She was kidnapped in a planned manner by the accused who was her distant relative and were residing in the same house by offering her toffees some of which were found lying at the place of occurrence,” Court added. “And she was innocent and could not understand the design of the accused.”
She, the court said, became helpless victim of a “diabolic” person whom the child could trust to be her own family member.
“The medical evidence shows the cruel manner of causing injuries on the body of the child at the time of committing rape which was followed by murder in brutal manner by crush injury to her head causing multiple fracture to skull bones by striking the bricks on her head and also tried to burn her body.”
The court said that a crime of this nature against the child girl was definitely a “crime against the society”.
This act, the court said, no doubt had invited extreme indignation of the community and shocked the collective conscience of the entire society.