In a landmark and historic judgment, the Special POCSO Court in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, has sentenced accused Rambhawan and his wife, Durgawati, to death for the sexual abuse and exploitation of 33 minor boys. While awarding the death sentence to the couple, the court described the crime as falling under the “rarest of rare” category due to its shocking and systematic nature.
“The sheer scale of this victimization across multiple districts, combined with the extreme moral turpitude of the convicts, marks this as a crime of such an exceptional and heinous nature that it leaves no room for reformation, necessitating the ultimate judicial deterrent to meet the ends of justice,” the CBI said in a statement on Friday, quoting the court’s order.
The couple has been convicted under multiple provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the POCSO Act, including aggravated penetrative sexual assault, unnatural offences, using children for pornographic purposes, storing child sexual abuse material, abetment, and criminal conspiracy.
“The trial court also ordered the award of compensation of Rs 10 lakh to each victim by the government. The court further directed that the cash amount seized from the house of the accused persons be distributed among the victims in equal proportion,” the CBI said.
The federal probe agency registered the case on October 31 against the couple, Rambhawan and others. The allegations included sexual abuse of children, creation of child sexual abuse material, and its circulation over the internet.
According to the CBI, as the probe began, investigating officers unearthed macabre and disturbing details of crimes committed by the couple over a period of time across districts of Uttar Pradesh.
“The accused allegedly abused 33 boys between 2010 and 2020 in Banda and Chitrakoot districts of Uttar Pradesh. Some of the victims were as young as three years old,” the CBI said.
After the conviction, the probe agency, for the first time, shared horrific details of the ordeal suffered by the 33 victims. The investigation revealed that several victims suffered physical injuries due to sexual assault, and some had to be hospitalised.
A few developed squint eye problems. Even today, many of the victims continue to struggle with psychological trauma caused by the abuse.
“Investigation also revealed that some of the victims had suffered injuries to their private parts during penetrative sexual assault. Some of them were admitted to hospital. A few of the victims developed squint eye. Victims are still suffering from psychological trauma caused by the predators,” the CBI said on Friday.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
