A Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act court on Monday sentenced a 65-year-old man to death for the rape and murder of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl at Nasrapur near Pune in May, saying the case fell under the category of “rarest cases” that warranted hanging to death.
Special judge S R Salunkhe said the prosecution had created a “continuing chain of circumstantial and forensic evidence” proving Bhimrao Kamble’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt. He added that the evidence demonstrated the existence of aggravating circumstances in favor of the prosecution. The court, which convicted Campbell on June 25, within sixty days of the May 1 rape and murder, said: “The offenses relate to the commission of serious offenses such as murder and rape by an accused with a prior record and long history of serious assaults.”
Judge Salunkhe said the cold-blooded murder deeply shocked the judicial and social conscience. He added that Campbell was driven by “unbridled lust” and behaved with extreme ferocity, leaving behind horrific injuries that reflect completely inhuman behavior.
“Satisfaction of lust was the only motive,” the court said. She added that Campbell appeared to have acted with a feeling of complete impunity. “He appears to believe, based on his prior criminal history, that even if he were prosecuted, nothing would happen to him.”
Campbell lured the girl with the promise of snacks and showing him a newborn calf in Nasrapur. He took her to a shed near a livestock pen, subjected her to sexual and unnatural assault, and then killed her by gagging her and causing injuries to her chest.
“The crime was heinously committed and involved inhumane treatment and torture of the victim. The victim was an innocent and helpless child. The murder was committed to satisfy lust, which shows complete depravity. It was a cold-blooded murder without any provocation.”
Judge Salunkhe pointed to the sheer scale of the crime, the innocence of the little boy, and the horrific details in post-mortem reports and photographs, which he said placed the matter firmly in the category of “the rarest of things”.
The court said: “The accused alone committed the crime… The manner of committing the crime, the motive and its barbaric scale leave no room for leniency. A harsher penalty than death cannot be imposed under the law.”
The court praised the coordination between law enforcement agencies and the judiciary. Investigating agencies collected evidence and filed the chargesheet on the spot during the court’s summer recess.
“This case represents an exception in how investigative agencies and legal counsel coordinate with each other,” the court said. “This is the standard that should happen in every criminal case.”
The court noted that there were no mitigating circumstances in this case, perhaps because they were not available. “The only circumstance that can be raised is the age of the accused, 65 years… This cannot be considered a mitigating matter. Rather, it is an aggravation.”
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis welcomed the ruling and praised the police and prosecution. He added: “The judiciary issued the correct decision, and these criminals have no right to remain in society.” Fadnavis thanked the court and congratulated the Pune District Superintendent of Police and the Public Prosecutor for the successful handling of the case. He spoke to them by phone, and praised the investigation agencies that completed the trial in record time.
