Indian rapist sentenced to death
2013-01-16 12:25
New Delhi - One of India's new special courts to deal with
crimes against women sentenced a 56-year-old man to death for raping and
murdering a child, a news report said Wednesday.
Judge Virender Bhat on Tuesday sentenced the former farm
guard for the crime committed against a 3-year-old girl in 2011, the Times of
India reported.
"The courts have to take a stern view of such crimes
and inflict harsher punishment possible, so that a stern message is sent to
society," the judge was quoted as saying.
The special courts were established after the gang rape and
murder of a 23-year-old student in New Delhi that triggered nationwide protests
demanding measures to ensure women's safety and stricter laws for sexual crimes
against women.
Wednesday's ruling was the first by any of the five
fast-track courts established in the Indian capital after that 16 December
assault. The court concluded the trial within 10 days, the report said.
Five men have been charged with abduction, rape and murder
of the student. A sixth suspect is to be tried by a juvenile court if his claim
to be 17 years old is verified.
Pre-trial hearings are underway and lawyers say it could
take a few more days for the case to be transferred to a fast-track court for
the trial.
- SAPA
