JAIPUR: In a much-awaited judgement, an SC/ST court in Rajasthan's Alwar on Saturday awarded capital punishment to a 19-year-old youth for raping a 7-month-old infant. The girl was kidnapped and raped in the Laxmangarh area in Alwar on May 9. This is the first capital punishment order by any court in Rajasthan after the state legislative assembly in March this year had passed a bill approving death penalty to convicts in the minor rape cases.The baby was taken away by the accused from a relative and was later found crying in a field on May 9. Medical examination confirmed that she was raped. Local police filed a charge-sheet in the case against the accused under appropriate sections of the POCSO Act and the IPC on June 6.“The accused Pintu was held guilty by the court on Wednesday by the special court hearing SC/ST and POCSO act cases and had reserved pronouncement of judgement for Saturday. The court has awarded capital punishment to the accused,” said a senior officer of Alwar police.After 12 hearings in 22 working days of the court special judge SC/ST court Jogendra Agarwal pronounced the judgement. “After the last hearing of the case on July 17 the court had convicted the accused on July 18 which is within 70 days after the incident,” said an officer.Hemant Priyadarshi, IG, Jaipur range said that police station Laxmangarh had lodged a case on May 9 that a 7-month-old girl was raped. She was picked away while she was sleeping close to her blind grandmother. “After the arrest the police also filed an early charge-sheet on June 6, under section 363, 366-A, 376 and ¾ of POCSO Act,” he said.Special Public Prosecutor Kuldeep Jain added, “The court took cognizance of the matter on June 21 and charges were also framed. From June 28, adopting the process of speedy trial, the hearings were held on every working day. This is the first time in the state that the accused has been convicted within such a short time.”This is the first time in Rajasthan, but the third time in the country after the POCSO Act has been amended, that a conviction has come in such a short time and previously in two such cases in Madhya Pradesh, the culprits were given death penalty for raping a 3-month-old infant.

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