Warangal : Sanjay Kumar Yadav, a young man from Bihar, who was earlier convicted for killing a number of people, was given life imprisonment by a Warangal court for raping a minor girl. He was awarded death penalty a few weeks ago in ‘Geesukonda mass murders’ case.
First Additional District and Special Judge K. Jaya Kumar directed the State government to pay the 15-year old victim who was impregnated by the accused Rs. 4 lakh as compensation. Sanjay had allegedly killed the victim’s mother on 6 March 2020. He had illegal affair with the mother and assaulted the daughter. A mother of three teenage daughters and two minor boys was deserted by her husband who lives in West Bengal. As the woman increased pressure to marry her, Sanjay planned to get rid of her. He told her that they have to travel to Bihar to take the permission of his parents for the wedding. They set out by train and when the train reached Tadepalligudem he made her swallow sleeping pills and pushed her out of the compartment killing her instantly. When he returned alone, people in the village started asking about the woman’s whereabouts. To hide the details of her killing, Sanjay killed nine more persons by administering poison and dumping all the dead in a nearby well.
The case of the minor girl being repeatedly molested came to light when she fell ill and was taken to a hospital where the doctors said she was pregnant. With the consent of her father the pregnancy was terminated. Reports confirmed that Sanjay impregnated her, said Public Prosecutor M. Satyanarayana.
When the court awarded death penalty for the convict on 28 October 2020 for killings, the trial in the rape case was in progress. The judge held Sanjay guilty under IPC sections 376 (N) and 376 (3). He was also convicted under section six of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POSCO). Asking the government to pay compensation to the victim of rape since her mother was killed and she became an orphan was a rare decision, the Public Prosecutor said.
