'Murder Was Committed To Satisfy Lust': Pune Rape Convict Gets Death Sentence

Last Updated:June 30, 2026, 15:54 IST

The court said the crime was "cruel, gruesome and brutal" and even the death penalty may not be adequate in the case.

A 65-year-old man was sentenced to death for allegedly kidnapping, raping, and murdering a three-year-old girl in a village in Pune district. A special court on Monday pronounced the order, terming the case “rarest of the rare".

Additional Judge S R Salunkhe said that the judicial conscience of this court leads to the irresistible conclusion that the only punishment the accused can deserve is the death sentence."

Judge Salunkhe said the crime was “cruel, gruesome and brutal" and even the death penalty may not be adequate in the case.

The verdict came within 60 days of the horrific crime that sparked widespread outrage and protests across Maharashtra.

“The offence was committed outrageously and involved inhuman treatment and torture of the victim. The victim was an innocent, helpless child. The murder was committed to satisfy lust, which evidences total depravity. It was a cold-blooded murder without provocation. The crime was committed so brutally that it shocks not only the judicial conscience but even the conscience of society," Judge Salunkhe observed.

The Judge noted that despite stringent punishments and special courts enacted after the Nirbhaya case (of Delhi in 2012) to ensure speedy trials in crimes against children, “such incidents continue and the collective conscience of society remains shocked".

The Judge said this court must keep its senses alive to hear the last scream of the child, which was loud enough, recorded in an audio-video CCTV camera.

“This court shall perceive by its senses, that CCTV footage wherein that innocent child walks her small steps happily with the accused, reposing trust on him. She was eager to see the beauty of the new life of a calf. She was, however, unaware that it was going to cost her own life and it was her last journey in her life," the court remarked, The Indian Express reported.

The court had convicted the accused on June 25, within sixty days of the crime, which took place on May 1.

Kamble was accused of luring the minor girl with the promise of snacks and showing her a newborn calf in Nasrapur village under Bhor taluka of Pune district in western Maharashtra. He took her to a shed near a cattle barn, subjected her to sexual and unnatural assault, and subsequently murdered her by gagging her and inflicting chest injuries.

The court rejected the defence’s plea for leniency based on age of the accused, Bhimrao Kamble, highlighting his history of violence and stated his depravity shocked the conscience of the judiciary and society.

“The thirst for lust of the accused is not extinguished even at such an age. Rather, it has reached a very dangerous stage. The injuries noted on the body of the victim reflect the inhuman behaviour of the accused with a child of just three years," the Judge stated.

He further observed that whatever the accused wanted to do with the child, he did “fearlessly, most violently and without bothering about consequences, because he had prior experience that even if prosecuted, nothing would happen in court".

“Satisfaction of lust of the accused was the only motive and the victim was killed for that motive. So, the motive of the accused is the sufficient test to qualify him for the death sentence… Committing rape, sexually assaulting and finally committing murder of a child of 3 years of age would definitely be anti-social or socially abhorrent nature of the crime. So, this test is also qualified by the accused," said the Judge in the order.

He said it is needless to say that the behaviour of the accused was uncommon and punishment of life imprisonment for such crime would be grossly inadequate.

“Even the punishment of death may not be adequate, but it is the greater punishment that can be awarded for such crime," the Judge observed.

In the observations, the Judge added that the crime was “cruel, diabolical, brutal, depraved" and of gruesome nature and resulted in public abhorrence and it shocks the judicial conscience and the conscience of society or the community.

(with PTI inputs)

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Saurabh VermaSenior Sub-editor

Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Chief Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter --twitter.com/saurabhkverma19

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