Rape-cum-murder of 4-yr-old: SC stays execution of convict

The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the execution of a 55-year-old convict, who was sentenced to death by it for raping a four-year-old girl and stoning her to death in Maharashtra in 2008.

A three-judge Bench, comprising Justices Dipak Misra, RF Nariman and UU Lalit, also agreed to hear in an open court the review plea of convict Vasanta Sampat Dupare.

Dupare said the exhibits and additional evidences were not examined properly by the courts below. "You (lawyer) satisfy us as to how our judgement was wrong. Till that time the execution of sentence will remain stayed," the court said.

The Apex Court, on November 26, 2014, had rejected the appeal of Dupare against the Bombay high court's verdict upholding his death penalty in the rape-cum-murder case, saying "the injuries caused on the minor girl are likely to send a chill in the spine of society and shiver in the marrows of human conscience." 

The lower court had also awarded the extreme penalty to him. Using strong words in its verdict, the Apex Court had said, "The rape of a minor girl is nothing but a monstrous burial of her dignity in darkness. It is a crime against the holy body of a girl child and the soul of the society and such a crime is aggravated by the manner in which it has been committed." 

It had also concurred with the findings of the courts below that the case fell under "the rarest of rare category" and the convict would be a menace to the society if allowed to remain alive.