The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the > execution of Kalu Khan, who was facing capital punishment for the rape and murder of a four-year-old. Khan was scheduled to be executed on June 18.
He was found guilty of rape and murder of his neighbour at Sriganganagar district in Rajasthan in May 2012. The Rajasthan High Court had confirmed his death sentence in April 2014.
Khan, 48, argued there was no direct proof to show he had killed the child. He contended that the case was foisted on him, based on an extra-judicial confession and hearsay from other neighbours.
The prosecution version showed that Khan had lured the victim to his house on the pretext of offering her some berries and allegedly raped and murdered her. A search party led by the child’s grandfather chanced upon Khan’s son digging near their house to hide the body.
In its judgment, the Rajasthan High Court described Khan’s act as a “serious scar on human values.”
“He has broken the faith of the neighbours, the faith in humanity and acted against the values to nurture the father-son relationship. The entire crime was committed outrageously while involving inhuman treatment and torture to the victim,” the court had observed.
