POCSO Offence Heinous But Lacked Extreme Brutality; Death Sentence Commuted In Child Rape Case: Madhya Pradesh High Court

The Madhya Pradesh High Court on June 19 commuted the death penalty of a 20-year-old man from a Scheduled Tribe convicted of raping a four-year-old child. The trial court had awarded capital punishment, citing that the child was left permanently disabled. The High Court, while recognizing the seriousness of the offence, held that the act was brutal but not committed with brutality. Details of the Crime The prosecution stated that…