A Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in Pune on Monday sentenced 65-year-old Bhimrao Kamble to death for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl in Nasrapur village near Pune, a crime that sparked widespread public outrage and protests across Maharashtra.Convict Kamble remained expressionless after the court pronounced the judgment, showing no visible emotion or reaction to the verdict. He did not make any statement while being escorted out of the courtroom. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)Special Judge SR. Salunkhe held that the prosecution had established an “unbroken chain of circumstantial and forensic evidence” proving his guilt beyond reasonable doubt, ruling that the case fell squarely within the “rarest of rare” category and ordering that the convict be “hanged till death.”Reading out the operative part of the decision, Judge Salunkhe said that the evidence clearly established aggravating circumstances in favour of the prosecution. “The offences relate to the commission of serious crimes like murder and rape by an accused with a prior record and a substantial history of serious assault,” the court observed. The court had convicted the accused on June 25, within sixty days of the crime, which took place on May 1The court observed that the 65-year-old convict was driven by “unbridled lust” and acted with extreme ferocity, leaving behind horrific injuries that reflected completely inhuman behaviour.“The satisfaction of lust was the only motive,” the court noted, adding that Kamble appeared to have acted with a sense of complete impunity. “He seemed to believe, based on his past crime history, that even if he was prosecuted, nothing would happen to him.”Kamble was accused of luring the young girl with the promise of snacks and showing her a newborn calf in Nasrapur village in Pune district. He took her to a shed near a cattle barn, subjected her to sexual and unnatural assault, and subsequently murdered her by gagging her and inflicting chest injuries.“The offence was committed outrageously and involved inhuman treatment and torture of the victim. The victim was an innocent, helpless child. The crime was committed so brutally that it shocks not only the judicial conscience but even the conscience of society,” Judge Salunkhe noted.The trial itself proved to be a deeply disturbing experience, with the court drawing parallels to the historic public outrages witnessed during the Kathua case and a previous incident in Nasrapur, according to the prosecution.“It was only and only the accused committing the crime... The manner of the commission, the motive, and the barbaric magnitude leave no room for leniency. More stringent punishment than death cannot be provided under the law,” the court observed.The court further noted that there were no mitigating circumstances in this case, probably because they were unavailable to the accused. “The only circumstance that could be posed is the age of the accused, 65 years. According to me, this cannot be taken as mitigating. Rather, it is aggravating,” the judge said.CM Devendra Fadnavis welcomed the Narsapur verdict and praised the police and prosecution. He said, “The judiciary has delivered the ‘right decision’ and that such criminals have no right to remain in society.”Fadnavis thanked the court and congratulated Pune district Superintendent of Police and public prosecutor Ajay Misar for successfully handling the case. He spoke to them over the phone.Convict Kamble remained expressionless after the court pronounced the judgment, showing no visible emotion or reaction to the verdict. He did not make any statement while being escorted out of the courtroom.The victim’s family, though, expressed satisfaction over the verdict.“We are satisfied with the judgment delivered by the Honourable Court. We had consistently demanded the strictest action against the accused. Our demand will be fully met only when the death sentence is carried out,” the victim’s father said.Special Public Prosecutor Advocate Ajay Misar says, “Today, the court delivered its final judgment regarding the quantum of punishment in the Nasrapur case. The court thoroughly discussed all mitigating and aggravating circumstances and awarded the death penalty to the accused under all the applicable sections. This case was decided in record time. This is a landmark judgment delivered in record time.”Her mother said, “The judgment has come as per our expectations, and the accused won’t go scot free as capital punishment has been awarded,” she said while expressing gratitude to the court.“Today, as a member of society, I apologise to the girl who lost her life in the Nasrapur atrocity case. She was a cheerful, lively girl, but a depraved individual in our society subjected her to brutal sexual assault and murdered her. Not stopping there, he continued to display his perversion even after her death. As a mother and as a police officer, I made every effort to ensure that she received justice after her death,” said Vijayamala Pawar, Police Inspector and Investigating Officer.Sandeep Singh Gill, Pune Superintendent of Police, while reacting to the order, said, “In its judgement, the court has specifically mentioned a word in the judgement called ‘societal conscious’… The court mentioned that the people have been losing faith in law enforcement agencies.”The sentencing will need endorsement from the High Court and the Supreme Court.