In Brief
A 19-year-old man was convicted of raping and murdering a 7.5-year-old girl. The Trial Court found him guilty based on circumstantial evidence: he was last seen with the victim; her clothing and blood-stained bedding were found in his house; and he failed to explain the evidence against him. The High Court confirmed the conviction and death sentence. The Supreme Court upheld the conviction as sound and based on proper evidence appreciation. However, finding the crime brutal but not qualifying as the "rarest of rare case," and considering the appellant's youth, lack of criminal history, and good jail conduct, it commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment.
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