Representative image CHANDIGARH: Punjab and Haryana high court has ordered that a man convicted of raping and murdering a five-year-old girl remain behind bars for 30 years without remission, holding that his incarceration must continue until he nears loss of “virility” to prevent further sexual crimes.”To save other children and women, the convict must remain within the four walls of the prison until he is closer to the sunset of his virility,” a division bench of Justices Anoop Chitkara and Sukhvinder Kaur ordered after commuting the convict’s death sentence.The case dates to May 31, 2018, when the child was raped and stabbed to death in a village in Haryana’s Palwal district by the man, who was a long-time employee of her father. Her body was stuffed into a flour storage drum in the courtyard of his house. CCTV footage from a nearby school showed him leading the child towards his home. He was convicted of kidnapping, rape, murder, criminal conspiracy, and destruction of evidence IPC and Pocso Act, and sentenced to death.He appealed in HC, which upheld his conviction but spared him the gallows and acquitted his mother of the charge of shielding him.”In a civilised society, this barbaric incident would not have happened, and if it did, a mother would have preferred justice for ‘Laado’ (the name given to victim by the court) than for her ‘Raja-beta’,” the bench observed, adding: “This social attitude, however appalling, is not new. It is deeply embedded in the region’s patriarchal mindset and culture.”HC was of the view that to be proportionate, any sentence must be stable and balanced like a table, and for any table to be stable, all its legs must be comparable. Thus, the courts, while awarding a sentence, are under an obligation to consider the crime, victim, criminal and his family, society and the state, the bench observed. HC observed that the facts on record indicate a gruesome crime because ‘Laado’ was walking with the convict, swaying one hand and letting the convict hold her other hand in absolute trust, “without the mental age or information to suspect the probable evil of a devil”.However, the convict has no criminal antecedents, and his conduct in prison is not violative, which makes reformation possible, HC observed. “Considering the victim’s age to be 5 years and 7 months, we are convinced to impose a sentence of 30 years, without remission… The fine is enhanced to Rs 30 lakh,” HC ruled.About the AuthorAjay SuraAjay Sura is Senior Assistant Editor with The Times of India Chandigarh. He covers news concerning the State of Haryana, Punjab & Haryana High Court and Defence & Military Affairs. He likes to analyse political developments and decoding judicial pronouncements. His hobbies include travelling, mountaineering and trekking.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosH-1B Visa Delays: MEA Says India Has Flagged Issue With USIndia Flags H-1B Visa Delays With US As Indians Face Backlogs Scrutiny And Policy UncertaintyPM Modi Praises Gen Z Confidence, Sees Them Leading Viksit Bharat”People Who Are…” MEA Responds To Viral Mallya And Modi “Biggest Fugitive” VideoRed Line From New Delhi: India Calls Out Yunus Govt As Minority Attacks In Bangladesh EscalateMyanmar Heads to Polls After Five Years as Rights Groups Slam Military-Run Process’Can You Elect A Non-Muslim?’ Indian Student Dismantles Pakistan On Minority Rights, DemocracySix Shots On AMU Campus Kill Teacher As CCTV Shows Killers Firing Into His Head After He Fell DownPutin Called Pakistan A Junta With Nukes As Bush Feared Nuclear Leaks To Iran, Reveal TranscriptsTwo Indians Killed In Canada Within A Few Days, Families Raise Question On Safety Of Students Abroad123PhotostoriesSalman Khan birthday special: Best family moments5 Indian beaches that are perfect for quiet, unhurried vacationsTop 5 important lessons to teach your kids in 2026; something that school never teaches them5 fashion experiments of 2025 that were imaginative, structural, and deliciously bizarre5 ‘food from the future’ that already part of restaurant menus now5 forbidden places on Earth and what happens if a tourist tries to visit themAnkita Lokhande’s most stylish saree looks: From red bandhani to purple chiffon5 types of demons as per mythologyand what do they signifyAhead of ‘Jana Nayagan’ audio launch: Revisiting Thalapathy Vijay’s most ICONIC audio launch moments10 books whose first line is enough to convince anyone to read them123Hot PicksUAE WeatherPAN-Aadhaar linkingAmrit MondalGold rate todayIncome Tax RefundIndian Railways fareBank Holidays DecemberTop TrendingCharles BarkleyAnthony DavisStephen CurryJaipur Mosque ViolenceTravis KelceConor McgregorShivank AvasthiSophie CunninghamVanessa BryantUS Strike Nigeria
CHANDIGARH: Punjab and Haryana high court has ordered that a man convicted of raping and murdering a five-year-old girl remain behind bars for 30 years without remission, holding that his incarceration must continue until he nears loss of “virility” to prevent further sexual crimes.“To save other children and women, the convict must remain within the four walls of the prison until he is closer to the sunset of his virility,” a division bench of Justices Anoop Chitkara and Sukhvinder Kaur ordered after commuting the convict’s death sentence.The case dates to May 31, 2018, when the child was raped and stabbed to death in a village in Haryana’s Palwal district by the man, who was a long-time employee of her father. Her body was stuffed into a flour storage drum in the courtyard of his house. CCTV footage from a nearby school showed him leading the child towards his home. He was convicted of kidnapping, rape, murder, criminal conspiracy, and destruction of evidence IPC and Pocso Act, and sentenced to death.He appealed in HC, which upheld his conviction but spared him the gallows and acquitted his mother of the charge of shielding him.“In a civilised society, this barbaric incident would not have happened, and if it did, a mother would have preferred justice for ‘Laado’ (the name given to victim by the court) than for her ‘Raja-beta’,” the bench observed, adding: “This social attitude, however appalling, is not new. It is deeply embedded in the region’s patriarchal mindset and culture.”HC was of the view that to be proportionate, any sentence must be stable and balanced like a table, and for any table to be stable, all its legs must be comparable. Thus, the courts, while awarding a sentence, are under an obligation to consider the crime, victim, criminal and his family, society and the state, the bench observed. HC observed that the facts on record indicate a gruesome crime because ‘Laado’ was walking with the convict, swaying one hand and letting the convict hold her other hand in absolute trust, “without the mental age or information to suspect the probable evil of a devil”.However, the convict has no criminal antecedents, and his conduct in prison is not violative, which makes reformation possible, HC observed. “Considering the victim’s age to be 5 years and 7 months, we are convinced to impose a sentence of 30 years, without remission… The fine is enhanced to Rs 30 lakh,” HC ruled.
