A special fast-track court in Pune on Monday sentenced 65-year-old Bhimrao Kamble to death for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of a three-year-old girl in Nasrapur village, Bhor taluka, in a case that triggered widespread public outrage and protests across Maharashtra after the crime took place on May 1.
Additional Sessions Judge S R Salunkhe, presiding over the special court at Pune’s Shivajinagar, pronounced the sentence, ordering that Kamble be “hanged till death.” The court had convicted Kamble on June 25, 55 days after the crime, and delivered the sentencing order three days later.
Details of the Crime
According to the prosecution, Kamble lured the child away from her home on May 1 with the promise of snacks and an offer to show her a newborn calf in the village. He took her to a shed near a cattle barn, where he subjected her to sexual and unnatural assault before murdering her. According to police, he gagged the child and inflicted chest injuries that caused her death, and her body was later found hidden inside the cowshed.
Kamble was charged under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, covering kidnapping, molestation, rape, and murder. Three of the offences carry the death penalty as a prescribed punishment under law.
Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill said Kamble had a documented criminal record, with cases registered against him under the POCSO Act in 1998 and 2015. The prosecution told the court that Kamble had prior offences involving a 62-year-old woman, a 17-year-old girl, and an animal, and argued he was “beyond reform.”
The Court’s Reasoning
Judge Salunkhe described the case as “rarest of the rare” and rejected the defence’s plea for leniency on the grounds of the accused’s age, ruling instead that his age constituted an aggravating factor given his history of violence.
The court held that the offence was committed with inhuman treatment and torture of the victim, noting that she was an innocent, helpless child and that the murder had been committed “to satisfy lust,” reflecting what the judgment described as total depravity. The court characterised the killing as cold-blooded and without provocation.
The defence had argued for leniency citing Kamble’s age and his denial of the charges. The court rejected both grounds.
An Unusual Trial
The case moved through the justice system at a pace rarely seen in Indian courts. Pune Rural Police filed the chargesheet within 16 days of the crime. Recording of witnesses and presentation of evidence were completed over the following 16 days, and final arguments took 20 days. In total, 55 witnesses were examined before conviction.
The investigation was led by a 15-member Special Investigation Team formed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, with Investigation Officer Vijaymala Pawar overseeing the filing of an 1,100-page chargesheet.
The victim’s father told reporters after the verdict that the family was satisfied with the court’s decision. “We are satisfied with the decision given by the honourable court. We already demanded strict action against the accused. The demand will be fulfilled once the order of the death penalty is executed,” he said.
The victim’s mother said the family had spent the past two months processing the tragedy, and credited police and legal teams for ensuring the case progressed swiftly. “It was very difficult to accept what had happened,” she said.
Kamble’s own family is reported to have distanced themselves from him following his arrest.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, addressing the Maharashtra legislative assembly, described the verdict as a “new benchmark” in speedy justice, noting that the convict received a triple death sentence within 60 days of the crime after the examination of 55 witnesses and completion of all legal procedures. Politicians across party lines credited the police and judiciary for what they called a historic verdict.
Under Indian law, death sentences passed by a trial court require confirmation by the Bombay High Court before they can be carried out. Kamble retains the right to appeal the verdict.
