In Brief
A 2.5-year-old girl was sexually assaulted and killed. The accused, the victim's maternal uncle, was found alongside her in an abandoned building, both injured. Medical evidence confirmed forcible sexual assault and death from severe internal injuries. The trial and high courts convicted him of rape and murder under multiple sections and awarded death sentence. The Supreme Court upheld the conviction based on circumstantial evidence forming a complete chain ruling out any hypothesis except guilt. However, it commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment (Section 302 IPC) and 25 years rigorous imprisonment (Section 376A), finding no express intent to cause death, distinguishing the case from 'rarest of rare' capital cases warranting execution."
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