SC upholds death sentence for teacher who raped, killed pupil

New Delhi, Sep 5 (UNI) The Supreme Court today refused to show any mercy to a teacher who raped and then strangulated to death his nine-year-old student and upheld death sentence awarded to him.

A bench headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat dismissed the appeal of Shivji alias Dabya Shankar Alhat who had challenged the Bombay High Court order which has confirmed the capital punishment awarded to him by the trial court.

The apex court agreed with the findings of the courts below and held,'' the present case falls in the category of the rare of the rarest cases.'' The apex court refused to interfere with the findings of the Bombay High Court which found the conduct and the offence committed by the accused as most reprehensible.

The apex court said, ''the punishment for an offence must be appropriate and the gravity of the offence must be kept in mind and the courts have to strive to do justice to both the offender and the victim.'' The gruesome incident took place on January 14, 2002, in Pune, Maharashtra.

The apex court observed, '' contagion of lawlessness would undermine the social order and it will lay in ruin.

Stamping out criminal prolivity must be the object of the law.'' UNI SC SY RP RAI2213