INDIA: GUJARAT COURT HANDS DOWN 'DOUBLE DEATH SENTENCE' TO MAN FOR RAPE AND MURDER OF 7-YEAR-OLD GIRL

May 6, 2025:

A sessions court in Gujarat on April 25, 2025 sentenced a man, 30, to a double death penalty in the case of raping and strangulating a 7-year-old girl to death in October 2019 in a village in Anand.
The Khambhat Sessions Court declared the quantum of sentence after finding the accused, Arjun alias Dado Gohel, guilty under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and murder charges.
The minor was raped and murdered on October 28, 2019.
Gohel lured the girl with chocolates and took her away, following which he raped and murdered her.
Calling the case the "rarest of rare", the court awarded the death penalty to the accused, who was 24 at the time of the crime.
The prosecutor highlighted that the crime was committed on Bestu Varas, the Gujarati New Year, making it even more serious.
Additional Sessions Judge Parveen Kumar sentenced Gohel to death under two sections - Section 302 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNC) for murder, and Section 6 of the Pocso Act, which allows for capital punishment in cases of aggravated penetrative assault.
Calling the crime "dastardly", the court said that it was marked by extreme brutality and caused widespread outrage. "Indeed, the crime in itself could no doubt be characterised as an extremely brutal, grotesque, diabolical, revolting or dastardly manner to arouse intense and extreme indignation of the community," the court said.
"The horrific and extreme criminality exhibited by the convict while murdering the little girl has not only pricked and shocked the judicial conscience but even the collective conscience of society," it added.
Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi wrote on X, "Historical Judgement. Justice served! Arjun Gohel sentenced to Hang till death for raping and murdering a 7-year-old girl in Anand district."
"A strong verdict that brings solace to the victim's family. The court's decision sends a clear message that such heinous crimes in Gujarat will not be tolerated," he added.