PUNE: Tears rolled down the cheeks of family members of Nasrapur rape-murder victim as the special fast track court pronounced death sentence to the convict (65) on Monday.The three-year-old girl’s parents described the sentence as a step towards justice for their daughter. Her mother said, “We are grateful to the court for awarding death sentence to the accused. We received cooperation from police, lawyers and the entire society.”Her father said, “The verdict of the court aligns with what we expected from the judiciary. We have been calling for the death penalty since the beginning and this verdict has brought great satisfaction.”
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the timely delivery of justice was essential to ensure strict action in heinous crimes and to create a deterrent. “This case has set a new benchmark,” Fadnavis said, referring to the speedy investigation and trial “There is a section in society with a criminal mindset that continues to surface. We now have an example that if we decide to work fast, offenders in such heinous crimes can be awarded the death penalty in the shortest possible time, as was done within 60 days in this case,” he said in the assembly.Deputy CM Eknath Shinde said, “The verdict has sent a clear message to those who commit atrocities against women and girls. No one will dare commit such heinous crimes in the future. Such depraved offenders have no place in society or under rule of law. They do not deserve the right to live.” Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar said the verdict would strengthen the faith of citizens in the law. “Such a brutal offender has no place in society. This verdict has reinforced the deterrent effect of the law and will discourage others from committing such heinous crimes,” she said.NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule described the verdict as a step towards securing justice for the victim. She said, “The victim will receive true justice only when the convict is hanged. I demand that the execution be carried out in public.”Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray stressed that the sentence should be carried out at the earliest to create a strong deterrent. “There is no point in repeatedly waiting for one hearing after another. Swift implementation of the sentence alone will send a strong message to such criminals,” he said.The pronouncement of the death sentence moved several police personnel, who had been a part of the investigation. Some wiped away tears at the emotional moment after relentless efforts to bring the accused to justice. Inspector Vijayamala Pawar, the investigating officer of the case, said, “As a mother and as a police officer, I made every effort to ensure that the cheerful girl received justice after her death.”
