The special court considering atrocities against women and children in Kochi has sentenced to death Rajith, first accused in the murder of four-year-old Aksa in Chottanikkara in 2013.
Pronouncing the quantum of punishment to the three accused in the case here on Monday, the court sentenced the second and third accused case, Rani and Basil, to life imprisonment.
Besides awarding the capital punishment, the court sentenced the first accused to rigorous life imprisonment for seven years and imposed a fine of ₹50,000 under Section 120 (B) of the IPC.
Further, he has been awarded another term of seven years and a fine of ₹25,000 under Section 9 (m) of the POCSO Act for sexually assaulting the girl.
The death penalty along with a fine of ₹50,000 was awarded under Section 302 read with 120 B of the IPC for murdering the girl.
Rani, the second accused and mother of the infant victim, has been awarded rigorous life imprisonment for seven years and a fine of ₹50,000 under Section 120 (B) of the IPC, in addition to another term of seven years along with a fine of ₹25,000 under Section 201 read with 120 B of the IPC for destruction of evidence in order to save the accused from punishment.
The court also found her guilty under Section 302 read with 120 B of the IPC for criminal conspiracy to commit an offence punishable with death, which requires her to undergo life imprisonment and pay a fine of ₹50,000. She has been also awarded rigorous imprisonment for six months under Section 23 of the Juvenile Justice (care and Protection of Children) Act 2000.
Awarding the sentence to Rani, the court stated in its order that “She is the mother of the deceased child. She had conspired with the other accused to eliminate her own four-and-a-half-year-old daughter. She is a shame to womanhood. She is not even entitled to be called a mother…”
The third accused Basil is required to undergo life imprisonment for seven years and pay fine of ₹50,000 under Section 120 of the IPC and an additional term of five years and a fine of ₹25,000 under Section 201 read with 120 B of the IPC. He has also been awarded life imprisonment and a fine of ₹50,000 under Section 302 read with 120 B of the IPC. The sentences of imprisonment to all three accused shall run concurrently. The fine amount, realised from the accused, will be given to the younger sister of the deceased as compensation.
Aksa, a kindergarten student in Chottanikkara, had been bashed to death by Rajith in October 2013 and the incident came to light after Rani approached the Chottanikkara police next day morning to report that her child was missing.
During interrogation, Rani admitted that the girl had been killed and her body was buried at a worksite at Arakkunnam, near Piravom. Rani had divorced her husband and was living with the child and Basil at Ambadimala.
