Imphal: A special court on Tuesday awarded death sentence to an accused convicted of raping and murdering a four-year-old, the first such judgment in post-Independence Manipur.
The last death sentence was awarded to three persons by the British on August 13, 1891, for waging war against the empire.
Special Pocso (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) judge, Senapati, A. Noutuneshwari Devi, announced the judgment a day after R. David, 21, was convicted under Section 6 of the Pocso Act and 302 of the IPC.
Terming the case "rarest of the rare", the judge said in her order, "There is no mitigating factor to deter in other alternative punishment. In my considered view, maximum punishment should be awarded and it should be any eye opener for society at large in order to prevent such brutal and heinous crime in our society. This court has delivered justice to the victim as well as to the society through earnest effort given by the investigation agency, especially the then 2nd OC of Mao police station."
The court also ordered a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the victim's mother, according to the National Legal Services Authority.
According to the police, the victim was raped and murdered on December 25, 2015, at a cattle shed in Senapati district. The accused was arrested on December 27 after Mao police station took up a suo motu case.
The villagers knew about the commission of the crime by the accused person. However, the case was settled through customary law between the two families after compensation for the death, the report said.
Following filing of the suo motu case, the victim's body was exhumed on December 28 and a post-mortem conducted in the presence of a magistrate. The post-mortem report revealed signs of strangulation and sexual assault.
On July 5 this year, the court framed charges against the accused. The court examined 21 witnesses.