Overview
- The division bench of Justices Anoop Chitkara and Sukhvinder Kaur upheld Virender alias Bholu’s conviction and fixed life imprisonment at a minimum of 30 years without remission.
- The court imposed a Rs 30 lakh fine on the convict for payment to the child’s family, with directions for disbursal to parents and siblings.
- Acquitting his mother, Kamla Devi, the judges said her effort to shield her “Raja Beta” reflected entrenched patriarchy but did not establish conspiracy or proof of evidence-tampering.
- The bench held the case proved beyond reasonable doubt based on last-seen testimony, CCTV footage and recovery of the body from the convict’s home, despite investigative lapses.
- In reducing the death penalty, the court cited a murder committed in panic to erase evidence of rape, the absence of violent conduct in prison and the possibility of reformation.