5 days ago
Chandigarh court awards death penalty to man who raped and killed minor girl
A fast-track special court for rape and Poscso cases in Chandigarh on Tuesday awarded the death sentence to a 40-year-old man it found guilty of raping and murdering a minor girl in 2024.
The special court presided over by Additional Sessions Judge Yashika convicted Hira Lal under Indian Penal Code sections related to kidnapping, rape, and murder, and under section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.
A detailed order in the matter was yet to be released by the court.
As per police, Hira Lal has two wives and is the father of five children, the eldest being 13 years old. The police said he was cheating on both his wives, as neither knew about the other.
According to the prosecution, the rape victim's body, with her throat slit and multiple stab wounds, was discovered near a dumping site in Ram Darbar in January 2024, three days after she went missing. An autopsy later confirmed rape.
The girl was kidnapped from near her home by Hira Lal, who then took her to his house and committed the crime. After the girl's body was found, the police identified Lal on the basis of CCTV footage. His house was found locked. The police broke into the house and found inside the victim's slippers, which then confirmed that the child had been brought there.
After a seven-day manhunt, the police arrested Hira Lal, a native of Uttar Pradesh, from Bihar.
During the trial, the defence counsel argued that Hira Lal had been falsely implicated in the FIR. The court, however, held him guilty.
