Date:08/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/08/stories/2008050857640300.htm

Other States - Orissa

HC upholds death sentence of rapist

Correspondent

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Wednesday upheld a death sentence awarded by a lower court and confirmed the conviction terming it as “rarest of the rare” incident.

Purna Chandra Kushal alias Chhotu, a Chhatisgarh native was arrested by the Sundargarh police in November 2002 on charges of raping and killing a five-year-old girl.

The Rourkela additional sessions court holding the trail for two years had convicted the accused and sentenced him lifer in December 2004. The death conviction of the lower court was referred to the High Court for confirmation, while the convict had also appealed against the lower court order in the High Court. Dismissing the appeal of the accused and upholding the lower court’s conviction order, the bench of Justice B. P. Das and Justice M.M. Das confirmed the death sentence and felt that the crime was heinous and deserved the capital punishment.