Mahila Court Judge M.P. Subramanian on Tuesday convicted a 25-year-old man on charges of murdering an eight-year-old girl, who was his relative, and also setting her corpse on fire to destroy the evidence in 2011. He had also attempted to rape her.
The accused, S. Govindan of Dharmapuri, was already undergoing a life sentence after being convicted by the Krishnagiri District Court for the rape and murder of a college girl in Dharmapuri around 40 days prior to committing this offence.
The Judge sentenced Govindan, a daily wage labourer, to life imprisonment for attempt to rape, besides imposing ten years for kidnapping the girl. He also imposed two sentences of seven years for two more counts of causing evidence to disappear and committing a punishable offence.
Terming the offence as having been “committed in cold blood without provocation,” the judge observed that the brutality of the crime shocked not only the conscience of judiciary but also that of the society. Special Public Prosecutor R. Sarojini had stated the Govindan had fled to Coimbatore to evade detection after killing a college girl in Dharmapuri.
He was staying in the house of his relative at Udayampalayam in Peelamedu.
He had sent his relative’s daughter around 7 p.m. on February 28, 2011 to purchase cigarettes.
Then he had followed her and taken her to a secluded spot where he committed the offence.
SurrenderedGovindan surrendered before the Udayampalayam Village Administrative Officer Jayaraman on March 1 and confessed to the crime.
He was charged under sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape), 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman) read with 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidences).
