Rajasthan: Man gets death penalty for raping a minor

JAIPUR: Father of an infant girl was awarded the death sentence by the Jhunjhunu POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Court in Rajasthan on Friday for raping a minor on August 2.
This is the fourth case in the state where the accused under POCSO were handed out death sentence.
Nand Kishore, Special Public Prosecutor, POCSO Court, said this is the first case when the death sentence has been given to a rapist within 20 days of presenting the charge-sheet in a court.
Accused Vinod Banjara, 23, is a resident of Dausa and used to sell utensils, Kishore said.
On August 2, he raped the minor in a village when her maternal grandparents were away.
The police formed a special team to investigate the case, Kishore said. "Through CCTVs, the accused was identified and arrested on August 3. He was remanded into custody where he confessed to the crime," he said.
According to DGP Rajasthan, after death sentence was incorporated in the POCSO Act for the rape and killing of minors under 12 years, all police officers were directed to speedy investigation and filing of charge sheets in the court had expedited conviction.
He said an accused in the rape of a six-year-old in Jhalawar on February 14 this year was handed out death sentence. He said the investigation was completed within 16 days and the court convicted for death on August 24 this year.
Similarly, in another case where a six-month old baby was raped and killed at Laxmangarh in Alwar on May 10, the court awarded death sentence to the accused on July 21. In this case the charge sheet was filed within 26 days after the incident.
An accused in a similar case reported at Barmer women’s police station was given death sentence on August 7 for raping a 12-year-old girl, he said.