The Court opined that the crimes of the accused indicated his paedophilic nature and that he deserved the death penalty for the manner in which he attacked the child and inflicted injuries on her body.
On Tuesday, Ashfaq Alam, 28, was found guilty in a Kerala court of raping and murdering a 5-year-old child. Notably, he had previously been implicated in a similar case in Delhi back in 2018, which remained unresolved due to his escape to Kerala.
The court emphasized that the accused’s criminal history provided clear evidence of his paedophilic tendencies. The judge, considering the severity of the assault on the infant and the resulting injuries, concluded that capital punishment was warranted.
“The brutality in this case reaches an unprecedented level. The defendant was previously involved in a child sexual abuse case in Delhi in 2018, predating the birth of the victim, underscoring his paedophilic inclinations. Unfortunately, the resolution of that case was hindered by the accused’s escape to Kerala. The postmortem report vividly illustrates the callous nature of the attack and the injuries inflicted on the deceased. This incident has deeply disturbed the community and stirred our collective conscience,” declared the Court.
The Court classified the case as “rarest of the rare,” highlighting the accused’s heinous criminal behavior, lack of empathy, and utter disregard for human life.
“If the defendant is allowed back into society, it poses a risk to young girls, even those yet to be born… Failing to impose the maximum punishment as per the law would be a dereliction of this Court’s duty,” stated the Court before sentencing Alam to death.
In contrast, Alam received a life sentence for the rape of the minor, alongside the death penalty for the murder conviction.
