A court in Shimla on Friday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl four years ago, PTI reported.
Anil Kumar, a woodcutter, was found guilty under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act on April 28. Special Judge Rajeev Bhardwaj said 12 of the 14 important points of evidence presented by the Central Bureau of Investigation were against the convict. The most crucial among this was matching of his DNA with samples found on the crime spot, Bhardwaj said.
During Friday’s hearing, the judge imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict.
On July 4, 2017, the Class 10 student in Shimla’s Kotkhai area left her school but never reached home. Two days later, her body was recovered from Dandhi forest. The incident sparked massive protests across Himachal Pradesh, with a mob even setting Kotkhai police station on fire.
On July 13, six people were arrested. But one of them, Suraj, died in police custody on July 19.
After this, the Himachal Pradesh High Court handed over the case to the CBI. The central agency arrested nine personnel, including the inspector general of police, for the custodial death. The case against the police officers was then transferred to Chandigarh, where it is currently being heard.
The proceedings against the other five accused were dropped due to lack of evidence. The CBI arrested Kumar in April 2018 and filed a chargesheet against him.
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