A 28-year-old man given life imprisonment for raping and murdering a 16-year-old schoolgirl

Shimla | Saturday | 19th June, 2021

Summary:

Special Judge Rajeev Bhardwaj pronounced the order in the presence of the convict.

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A local court here on Wednesday sentenced a 28-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping and murdering a 16-year-old schoolgirl in a forest in Shimla’s Kotkhai area four years ago.

The court also imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000 on convict Anil Kumar alias Nilu, a woodcutter.

A Shimla court also imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000 on convict Anil Kumar alias Nillu, a woodcutter.

Special Judge Rajeev Bhardwaj pronounced the order in the presence of the convict.

The FIR was lodged on the allegations of rape and murder of a minor school girl in a forested area in Shimla`s Kotkhai district.

Six persons were arrested by the Kotkhai police in the case.

One of them, Suraj, died in police custody on July 19.

Amid public outrage, the Himachal Pradesh High Court handed over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on July 22, 2017, which arrested nine policemen including the IGP for the custodial death.

The class 10 student was on her way home from school when she was abducted, raped, and killed on July 4, 2017.

Her body was found in the forest two days later.

This case was being monitored by the high court through status reports which were placed before the court from time to time.

During the investigation, the CBI found that the victim was raped and murdered by Anil alias NiIu alias Kamlesh.

In an intensive investigation, CBI with the help of forensic experts and DNA tracing technology nabbed the accused, who was arrested on April 13, 2018, from Hatkoti village in Shimla.

After a thorough investigation, CBI filed a charge sheet in the Shimla court against accused Anil Kumar.

After considering all the oral, documentary, scientific, medical, and circumstantial evidence on record, Special Judge Bhardwaj found Anil Kumar guilty and convicted him under the Indian Penal Code sections related to rape and murder, as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on April 28, 2021.

The judge said 12 of the 14 crucial points of evidence presented by the CBI went against the convict.

During the hearing over video conference on April 28, the judge also ruled that the crime was committed on the spur of the moment when Anil Kumar came across the girl as she walked home through the forested area.

Anil Kumar, who then attended the hearing from prison in Shimla, pleaded innocence.

The CBI investigation also revealed that the six accused arrested by the state police earlier were not found involved in the crime.

“The case was very challenging and blind, involving public sentiments.