Palghar Tribunal Issues Capital Punishment for Child Rape‑Murder

The Palghar District and Sessions Court has pronounced a death sentence on the accused in the gruesome 2021 rape‑murder of an eight‑year‑old girl from Dahanu. The court also levied a fine of INR 75,000, with a supplementary term of 1.5 years of imprisonment for failure to pay.

Filed as FIR 189/2021, the case invoked sections 302, 307, 376, 377 of the Indian Penal Code along with relevant provisions of the POCSO Act. The accused, 50‑year‑old Pramulla alias Prafull Ratna Ghose, allegedly committed the assault near a water tank on September 27, 2021, and later bludgeoned the child’s head, neck, and face with a hammer, causing her death. The complainant present at the scene was also violently attacked, sustaining serious injuries.

The investigation, led by Sub‑Divisional Police Officer Nityanand Jha (IPS), gathered robust forensic data and eyewitness accounts. During the trial, the court recorded statements from 24 witnesses. Based on this comprehensive evidence, Judge A.R. Rahane convicted the accused under IPC sections 302, 307, 376 and POCSO sections 4 and 6, directing the ultimate penalty of hanging.

The prosecution was strengthened by special government lawyer Rekha Hivrale, the lead investigator, and police assistants Vidya Naresh Bore and Sanjay Gavd, whose courtroom assistance was deemed instrumental.