A Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) court in the Banda district of Uttar Pradesh delivered a capital sentence on Friday to two accused, Rambhawan and his spouse Durgawati, for multiple violations of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the POCSO statute.
As reported by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the trial court further directed the state to provide compensation of ₹10 lakh to every victim involved. Additionally, the judge ordered that the currency confiscated from the residence of the convicted pair be divided equally among the victims, according to a formal CBI statement.
The CBI initiated this case on October 31, 2020, targeting Rambhawan and several unidentified accomplices following allegations of child. sexual exploitationthe utilization of minors in pornography, and the production and distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) across digital platforms.
‘Rarest of Rare Offenses’
“During the investigation of the case, it surfaced that the accused persons had committed various forms of perversity, which included aggravated penetrative sexual assaults against 33 young boys, some of them as young as three years of age,” the statement read.
“Investigation also revealed that some of the victims had suffered injuries to their private parts during penetrative sexual assault. Some of them have remained admitted to the hospital. A few of the victims developed Squint Eye. Victims are still suffering from psychological trauma caused by the predators,” it further read.
These predators operated throughout the Banda and Chitrakoot regions of Uttar Pradesh for a decade, spanning 2010 to 2020. At the time, Rambhawan held the position of Junior Engineer within the Irrigation Department. The accused employed various strategies to manipulate children, such as providing access to digital games or offering cash and presents to entice them.
According to the CBI, the inquiry was conducted with high sensitivity towards the minor victims during their depositions, prioritizing their mental health through professional counseling services. Following the investigation’s end, the CBI submitted its chargesheet on October 10, 2021, against the pair. Formal charges were later established on May 26, 2023.
In granting the maximum legal penalty, the court categorized the actions of the accused as “rarest of rare” due to the unmatched depravity and organized structure of their crimes, which involved the calculated sexual victimization of 33 young children.
As per the CBI, the immense scale of this abuse across several districts, coupled with the profound moral corruption of the guilty parties, distinguishes this as a crime of such extraordinary and horrific proportions that rehabilitation is impossible, requiring the final judicial sanction to ensure justice is served.
