Punjab and Haryana HC Confirms Death Sentence for Man in Rape and Murder of Five-Year-Old Girl [Read Order]

Punjab: The Punjab and Haryana High Court, in a judgment delivered by a Bench comprising Hon’ble Mr. Justice Anoop Chitkara and Hon’ble Mrs. Justice Sukhvinder Kaur on December 23, 2025, has confirmed the death sentence awarded to Virender alias Bholu for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl, referred to as “Laado” in the judgment.

The Court decided the reference for confirmation of the death sentence (MRC-2-2020) along with the criminal appeals filed by the convict, Virender, and his mother, Kamla Devi (CRA-D-346-2020 and CRA-S-1306-2020).

The victim, a girl child aged 5 years, 7 months and 14 days, was raped and murdered on May 31, 2018, allegedly by Virender, who was employed by the child’s father. The Trial Court, vide judgment dated January 24, 2020, and order on the quantum of sentence dated January 27, 2020, convicted Virender under Sections 302, 376, 120-B, 366, 363 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO Act) (in the alternative, Section 376AB IPC). He was sentenced to death by hanging for the offences under Sections 302 and 376AB IPC.

His mother, Kamla Devi, was convicted under Sections 120-B and 201 IPC and sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for each offence.

The prosecution case rested on a chain of circumstantial evidence. The Court noted several circumstances proved beyond reasonable doubt, including Laado accompanying Virender to her father’s workplace, Virender’s false explanation regarding dropping her off, and multiple witnesses having seen Virender with the child shortly before her disappearance. The testimonies of the witnesses, corroborated by CCTV footage, were held to be “clinching evidence establishing the relevant fact of Virender taking away Laado by holding her hand, after which her dead body was recovered from the compound of Virender’s house.”

A crucial piece of evidence was the recovery of Laado’s body concealed inside a flour drum in the compound of the accused’s house. The judgment records:
“Thus, the scientific evidence establishes that the victim’s body was kept in the drum MO/3, which was taken into possession vide memo Ext. P-23.”
The DNA profile of stains found on the drum matched with the victim’s clothes and swabs. Further, the Court found that the ninth circumstance—namely, Kamla Devi resisting the search of her house to trace Laado and switching off the electricity—stood proved.

However, the Court rejected the disclosure statements of both accused as either inadmissible or not leading to the discovery of any new fact. With respect to Virender’s genetic evidence, the judgment notes that semen was not detected on the victim’s vaginal swab, vulval swab, knickers or T-shirt, and that DNA testing did not link Virender’s DNA profile with that of the victim. Despite this, the Court held that the “sterling quality of the primary evidence, corroborated by the scientific evidence,” conclusively proved beyond reasonable doubt that the victim’s dead body was concealed in the drum at the accused’s house.

Case Details:

Case Name: State of Haryana v. Virender @ Bholu and Kamla Devi

Case Numbers: MRC-2-2020; CRA-D-346-2020; CRA-S-1306-2020

Coram: Hon’ble Mr. Justice Anoop Chitkara and Hon’ble Mrs. Justice Sukhvinder Kaur

Date of Judgment: 23.12.2025

Advocate for Appellant (Virender) in CRA-D-346-2020 and Respondent in MRC-2-2020:
Mr. Hoshiar Singh Jaswal, Advocate

Advocates for the State of Haryana:
Mr. Rahul Mohan, Addl. A.G., Haryana
Mr. Karan Sharma, D.A.G., Haryana
Mr. Shiva Khurmi, D.A.G., Haryana
Mr. Yuvraj Shandilya, A.A.G., Haryana

Advocates for the Complainant:
Mr. Bhimsham Kumar Majoka, Advocate
Ms. Mansi, Advocate

[Read Order]