Man gets double death forrape, murder of daughter
| Date :22-May-2024 |
Special Correspondent
SPECIAL Judge for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, A C Raut on Tuesday awarded double death penalty to Guddu Chhotelal Rajak (40) for sexually assaulting and killing his own teenage daughter. According to the prosecution, Guddu, a labourer, was living with his two daughters -- Mahi (16) and her 12-year-old sister -- and 10-year-old son at Plot No 78, Devi Nagar, Aajri Majri, Wanjra. After his wife Aarti committed suicide in 2016, he tied the knot with Kausalya Dashrath Piparde (38), a resident of Plot No 628, Kushi Nagar, Nara Ghat Road, Jaripatka. Kausalya also left him and was staying with her father, brother and sister-in-law. A few days before the murder that took place on November 6, 2022, Guddu mixed poison in Mahi’s meals and she was admitted to a hospital. When her step-aunt Ashwini Durgaprasad Deshbhratar (29) went to meet Mahi in the hospital, the latter told her that her step-mother Kausalya, her brother Santosh, Kalpana Santosh Piparde (38) and Dashrath Piparde (60) were pressurising her to marry. Aarti’s brother Santosh Piparde (35) was sexually harassing her.
After Mahi was discharged from the hospital, she was found hanging from a ceiling raft in the prayer room of her house on November 6, 2022. Following Ashwini Deshbhratar’s complaint and five suicide notes found by cops, Kalamna Police had registered a case under Section 305, 306, 376,34 of the Indian Penal Code, read with Section 4, 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act against Kausalya, Santosh, Dashrath and Kalpana and arrested them. Investigators, however, grew suspicious and seized the cellphones of Guddu and deceased Mahi. They found photographs of Mahi alive with a noose around her neck. Further investigation revealed that Guddu repeatedly raped Mahi and killed her after compelling her to create a scene of suicide by hanging for false implication of Kausalya, Santosh, Dashrath and Kalpana and then kicked the stool on which she was standing. He then forcefully released her hand from the metal rod which she was holding for support to save herself.
The probe also revealed that Guddu also thrashed his second daughter (an eye-witness) and Ashwini Deshbhratar had given a false complaint against Kaushalya, Santosh, Kalpana and Dashrath as she wanted to extort money from them after coming to know that they were selling their agricultural property in Madhya Pradesh. Kaushalya, Santosh, Kalpana and Dashrath were later discharged in the matter. The probe further revealed that prior to Mahi’s murder, Guddu had also attempted to kill her by mixing poison in her meal and forced her to write suicide notes with a concocted narrative against Kaushalya, Santosh, Kalpana and Dashrath. Subsequently, police registered a case under Sections 302, 307, 376(2)(n)(f), 201, 323, 120-B,170, 182, 192,193,194,195,196,201, 203, 211, 506(B), 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), read with Sections 4, 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (PoCSO) Act, Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act against Guddu and arrested him. During his custodial interrogation, Guddu confessed to sexually assaulting and killing his daughter Mahi. Assistant Police Inspector Chanda Dandawate, who was the investigating officer, chargesheeted Guddu and submitted evidence to the court. During the trials, the court examined 26 prosecution witnesses.
As the charges were established against Guddu, the court sentenced him to double death penality for the offences under Section 302 of the IPC and Section 6 of the PoCSO Act with a fine of Rs 50,000 for each offence. The death penalty would be executed by hanging him by neck till he is dead subject to confirmation of the sentence by the High Court. For the offences under Sections 307, 194 and 120-B of the IPC, the court sentenced him to suffer life imprisonment with a fine of Rs 10,000 for each offence. Similarly, the court convicted Guddu and awarded him punishment for the offences under Sections 323, 182, 193, 196, 203 and 120-B of the IPC. The court also awarded three years RI with a fine of Rs 5,000 for the offence under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. All the sentences would run concurrently.The court also made a recommendation to the Legal Services Authority, Nagpur, to make suitable compensation under the Victim Compensation Scheme to deceased Mahi’s younger sister and brother and rehabilitate them. The court directed the prosecution to file a separate chargesheet against the absconding accused Ashwini Deshbhratar. Additional Public Prosecutor Adv Kalpana Pande represented the State.