Telangana Court Issues Death Sentence to Youth for Rape and Murder of Nine-month-old

Hyderabad: In what is being touted as a historic judgment, a local court in Telangana issued death sentence to a youth accused of rape and murder of a nine-month old baby about two months ago.

The incident happened in the early hours of June 19 when the youth, Kolepaka Praveen (25), abducted, raped and killed a nine-month old infant at Hanmakonda, Warangal district. He was allegedly under the influence of alcohol when he had committed the heinous crime.

Praveen picked up the baby when she was sleeping beside her mother on the terrace of their house and sexually assaulted her before killing her. Soon after, he was beaten up by locals and handed over to police.

The incident led to widespread protests across the state. People had taken to streets demanding death sentence for the accused.

The Hanmakonda police registered the case and filed a chargesheet in less than a month. The trial for the case began on June 24.

The Warangal District Bar Association had decided to not defend or argue for the accused in court.

“The committee resolved that stern action shall be taken against the culprit and further all the advocates are requested not to defend the accused in the case registered,” the association had issued a statement in June.

About 51 days after the incident, Warangal district’s First Additional Sessions Court Judge ordered the death sentence to the accused.

The ‘speedy’ judgment is being hailed by activists and advocates, including Telangana’s Director General of Police M Mahender Reddy, who took to Twitter to congratulate the local team for their work.

Child rights activist Achyuth Rao told News18, “The process should be serve as an example for other courts in India. Justice should be served to all victims, especially children. Nothing can give relief for the heinous crime committed on them, but at least a quick justice can be a first step in this regard.”