Ranchi’s Nirbhaya, a 19-year-old engineering student, who was raped and killed by a “serial killer” in 2016, finally got justice on Saturday as a Special Court of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) awarded death sentence to the killer Rahul Raj.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the convict.
After escaping from investigating agencies for two and a half years, Raj was arrested by the CBI and after a 19-month of hearing, the special CBI court on Saturday sentenced him to death.
The accused Rahul Kumar alias Rahul Raj was produced in the court and the Judge announced his verdict in the presence of the accused.
Special CBI Judge AK Mishra convicted Raj on Friday.
In this case, CBI had filed a charge sheet against the accused on September 19 this year.
Charges were framed against Raj on October 25, 2019. The case had triggered huge protests in the Capital city. Joined by students of other engineering colleges and locals, the protests termed the victim as “Ranchi’s Nirbhaya”.
Judge, Mishra said in his judgment, “Rahul Kumar alias Rahul Raj convicted on the basis of charge sheet, documents, witnesses and the arguments submitted by the CBI in the rape and murder of the engineering student. He said that Raj was found guilty under sections 302, 376, 449 and 201 of IPC for raping, murdering and erasing evidence.
The CBI Special Court, Public Prosecutor, Rakesh Prasad said a student of Ramtahal Chaudhary Engineering College was murdered in a house near Booti More on the night of December 15 in 2016 after committing rape with her. “Her body was also burnt. On December 16, the father of the student lodged an FIR at Sadar Police Station in Ranchi. The police and the CID investigated the case, but could not reach any conclusion,” he added.
“After this, the State Government recommended a CBI enquiry. The Government ordered the case to be investigated by the CBI. After registering the FIR on March 28, 2018 CBI started investigation to crack the case,” said Prasad.
Speaking about the investigation completed by the CBI, the Government pleader said based on the forensic report, a charge sheet was filed in the Court accusing Raj for committing the rape and murder incident. “During the speedy trial, the CBI recorded the statement of 30 witnesses in just 16 days. No witnesses were produced on behalf of the accused in this case of murder and rape,” said Prasad.