{"id":351235,"date":"2025-06-21T19:00:54","date_gmt":"2025-06-21T13:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?p=351235"},"modified":"2025-06-30T09:38:33","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T04:08:33","slug":"mp-high-court-commutes-death-sentence-to-25-yrs-imprisonment-in-4-yr-old-minor-rape-case-scc-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/06\/21\/mp-high-court-commutes-death-sentence-to-25-yrs-imprisonment-in-4-yr-old-minor-rape-case-scc-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Accused can\u2019t said to be \u201cbrutal\u201d though \u201cbarbaric\u201d; MP High Court commutes death sentence to 25 yrs imprisonment in 4-yr-old minor rape case"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Madhya Pradesh High Court:<\/span> In a criminal appeal against the conviction and death sentence of by the Special Judge (POCSO), Khandwa, for the rape and attempted murder of a four-year-old girl under various sections of IPC and POCSO Act, a Division Bench of Vivek Agarwal and Devnarayan Mishra,*<\/span> JJ., upheld the conviction for grave offences against a minor, but declined to confirm the death sentence, emphasising that the case did not meet the \u201crarest of rare\u201d threshold necessary for imposing capital punishment.<\/p>\n

Factual Matrix<\/h3>\n

In the instant matter, on the night of 30-10-2022\/31-10-2022, a four-year-old girl, visiting her relatives in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, went missing while sleeping inside a hut with her cousin. The accused, a worker at a nearby dhaba, had requested a cot to sleep near the hut that night and was later found missing in the morning. Suspicion arose, and upon interrogation, he led the police to a mango orchard where the victim was discovered unconscious and injured.<\/p>\n

The minor had sustained severe sexual injuries and was later referred to Bombay Hospital, Indore. A large volume of forensic evidence, including DNA samples, linked the accused to the crime. The trial court, Special Judge under the POCSO Act, convicted him and awarded capital punishment under Section 6 of the POCSO Act, along with other sentences under Sections 307, 363, 450, and 201 of the IPC.<\/p>\n

The matter was referred to the High Court for confirmation of death sentence. The accused preferred the present criminal appeal challenging the conviction and sentence.<\/p>\n

Parties\u2019 Contentions<\/h3>\n

The appellant argued that the name of the accused was not mentioned in the FIR initially, there is no eyewitness to the abduction or the act, identification of the accused was not made by the victim. It was argued that the DNA evidence, being circumstantial, is not sufficient on its own. It was pointed out that the accused is 20 years old, illiterate, from a Scheduled Tribe background, with no prior criminal history. It was further argued that the trial court erred in concluding that the offence falls under the \u201crarest of rare\u201d category warranting the death penalty.<\/p>\n

However, the State contended that the accused was found with DNA evidence conclusively matching that found on the victim\u2019s frock, undergarments, and at the crime scene. It was pointed out the victim was brutally raped and left in an unconscious state, believing she had died. It was contended that the prosecution has established the chain of events with forensic and circumstantial evidence beyond reasonable doubt. The State further cited precedents where death penalty was upheld in cases of rape of the child and attempted murder.<\/p>\n

Court\u2019s Observation<\/h3>\n

The Court noted that the victim was aged four years and three months, as corroborated by her birth certificate; DNA profiles matched between accused and materials recovered from the crime scene and victim\u2019s clothes; the place of crime and recovery of the victim were disclosed by the accused himself and the medical reports confirmed brutal sexual assault, with internal injuries and oxygen deprivation-induced brain swelling.<\/p>\n

While noting the heinous nature of the crime, the Court held that mitigating circumstances, particularly the youth of the appellant, lack of prior criminal history, his tribal and impoverished background, that he is working in a roadside Dhaba, and abandoned by his family at a young age, placed the present case outside the \u201crarest of rare\u201d category. The Court further emphasised that there was no conclusive medical evidence that the victim had suffered permanent disability or would be unable to live a normal life in future.<\/p>\n

Relying on Bachan Singh<\/span> v. State of Punjab<\/span>, (1980) 2 SCC 684<\/a>; Machhi Singh v. State of Punjab<\/span>, (1983) 3 SCC 470<\/a>; Santosh Bariyar v. State of Maharashtra<\/span>, (2009) 6 SCC 498<\/a>; the Court reiterated that \u201clife imprisonment is the rule and death sentence is an exception.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Court referred to Bhaggi<\/span> v. State of M.P.<\/span>, (2024) 5 SCC 782<\/a>, and reiterated the distinction between acts that are \u201cbarbaric\u201d and those that are both \u201cbarbaric and brutal\u201d and held that the present case fell in the former category. The Court found the accused\u2019s actions to be \u201cbarbaric\u201d but not \u201cbrutal\u201d in the legal sense that would merit the death penalty.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn that light, the act of the appellant could not be said to be \u2018brutal\u2019 though \u2018barbaric\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Court\u2019s Decision<\/h3>\n

In view of the above-mentioned reasoning, the Court held that the case, though deeply tragic and disturbing, did not fall under the category of \u201crarest of rare\u201d for warranting the death penalty.<\/p>\n

The Court upheld the conviction of the appellant under Sections 363, 450, 307, 201 IPC and Section 6 of the POCSO Act. However, the Court modified the sentence of death penalty under Section 6 of the POCSO Act to rigorous imprisonment for 25 years with a fine of \u20b910,000\/-, and in default, further rigorous imprisonment for one year without remission.<\/p>\n

[Rajaram<\/span> v. State of M.P.<\/span>, 2025 SCC OnLine MP 4416<\/a>, Decided on 19-06-2025<\/span>]<\/p>\n

*Judgment by Justice Devnarayan Mishra<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Advocates who appeared in this case :<\/p>\n

Shri Samar Singh Rajpoot, Counsel for the Appellant<\/p>\n

Shri Yash Soni, Deputy Advocate General, Counsel for the Respondent\/State<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While the crime was heinous and against a child, the Court noted that although the act was “barbaric”, it could not be termed “brutal” in the sense that it required capital punishment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67514,"featured_media":317738,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,10],"tags":[83925,14581,76595,83924,2896,83923,71391,37399,7201,13711,23524,9281,14031],"class_list":["post-351235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-casebriefs","category-highcourts","tag-4-yr-old-minor-rape","tag-capital-punishment","tag-commutes-death-sentence","tag-conviction-under-circumstantial-evidence","tag-Death_sentence","tag-dna-evidence","tag-justice-devnarayan-mishra","tag-justice-vivek-agarwal","tag-madhya-pradesh-high-court","tag-mitigating-circumstances","tag-pocso-act","tag-rape-of-minor","tag-rarest-of-rare-case"],"yoast_head":"\nMP High Court commutes death sentence to 25 yrs imprisonment in 4-yr-old minor rape case | SCC Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"MP High Court commuted death sentence to 25 yrs imprisonment in 4-yr-old minor rape case and held that the accused can\u2019t said to be \u201cbrutal\u201d though \u201cbarbaric\u201d.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/06\/21\/mp-high-court-commutes-death-sentence-to-25-yrs-imprisonment-in-4-yr-old-minor-rape-case-scc-times\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Accused can\u2019t said to be \u201cbrutal\u201d though \u201cbarbaric\u201d; 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held a rarest of the rare case","author":"Bhumika Indulia","date":"February 1, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Madhya Pradesh High Court: The criminal appeal was filed before a Division Bench of P.K. Jaiswal and Anjuli Palo, JJ. by the accused to set aside the conviction and sentence passed under Section 363 of Penal Code and criminal reference to confirm death penalty awarded by First Addl. Sessions Judge,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Case Briefs"","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/MP-HC-JABALPUR.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/MP-HC-JABALPUR.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/MP-HC-JABALPUR.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/MP-HC-JABALPUR.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/MP-HC-JABALPUR.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":299543,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/08\/17\/rajasthan-hc-commutes-death-penalty-man-convicted-for-rape-and-murder-of-4-and-a-half-year-old-girl\/","url_meta":{"origin":351235,"position":2},"title":"Rajasthan High Court commutes death penalty of a man convicted for rape and murder of 4 and a half-year old girl","author":"Editor","date":"August 17, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cThe Trial Court has rightly convicted the accused and we do not find any illegality in the impugned judgment of conviction and therefore, the same deserves to be upheld.\u201d","rel":"","context":"In "Case Briefs"","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"rajasthan high court","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/rajasthan-high-court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/rajasthan-high-court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/rajasthan-high-court.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/rajasthan-high-court.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":201073,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2018\/09\/01\/rape-of-12-year-minor-and-death-thereafter-not-rarest-of-the-rare-case-mp-hc\/","url_meta":{"origin":351235,"position":3},"title":"Rape of 12-year minor and death thereafter not \u201crarest of the rare case\u201d: MP HC","author":"Bhumika Indulia","date":"September 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Madhya Pradesh High Court: A Division Bench comprising of J.K.Maheshwari and Akhil Kumar Srivastava, JJ., addressed the issue of rape and murder of a minor girl to see if capital punishment of death penalty could be imposed upon the accused. Accused in this case was alleged under Sections 376A, 302,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Case Briefs"","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/MP-HC-JABALPUR.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/MP-HC-JABALPUR.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/MP-HC-JABALPUR.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/MP-HC-JABALPUR.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/MP-HC-JABALPUR.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":216948,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2019\/07\/17\/mp-hc-death-penalty-of-a-man-accused-of-rape-and-murder-of-his-6-year-old-daughter-commuted-to-life-imprisonment-after-balancing-aggravating-and-mitigating-circumstances\/","url_meta":{"origin":351235,"position":4},"title":"MP HC | Death penalty of man accused of rape and murder of daughter reduced to life imprisonment","author":"Bhumika Indulia","date":"July 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Madhya Pradesh High Court: A Division Bench of J.K. Maheshwari and Anjuli Palo, JJ. partly allowed a criminal petition filed by a person accused of rape and murder of his minor daughter, and commuted his death penalty to life imprisonment. In the instant case, the prosecutrix (since deceased) aged six\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Case Briefs"","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/MP-HC-JABALPUR.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/MP-HC-JABALPUR.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/MP-HC-JABALPUR.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/MP-HC-JABALPUR.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/MP-HC-JABALPUR.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":367314,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2025\/11\/21\/all-hc-commutes-death-sentence-man-who-raped-killed-5-month-old-cousin\/","url_meta":{"origin":351235,"position":5},"title":"‘Offence was not pre-meditated’; Allahabad HC commutes death sentence to life imprisonment of man who raped and killed his 5-month-old cousin","author":"Sonali Ahuja","date":"November 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Court reiterated that though in a rape and murder case based on circumstantial evidence, the death penalty can be awarded in the \u2018rarest of rare\u2019, normally imprisonment for life without any remission may be awarded, unless a death sentence is inevitable.","rel":"","context":"In "Case Briefs"","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Man raped and killed 5-month-old cousin","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Man-raped-and-killed-5-month-old-cousin.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Man-raped-and-killed-5-month-old-cousin.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Man-raped-and-killed-5-month-old-cousin.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Man-raped-and-killed-5-month-old-cousin.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67514"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=351235"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351235\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/317738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=351235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=351235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=351235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}