Telangana High Court Upholds Death Sentence in Child Rape-Murder Case

The Telangana High Court has upheld the death sentence of Dinesh Kumar Dharne for raping and murdering a five-year-old girl in December 2017. The ruling affirms a 2021 conviction by a Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court in Rangareddy. Dharne's appeal against the sentence was dismissed.

The Telangana High Court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence awarded by a city court to a man for raping and murdering a five-year-old girl in December 2017.

The Metropolitan Sessions Judge (MSJ) Court in Rangareddy had sentenced Dinesh Kumar Dharne, a 23-year-old labourer, to capital punishment in February 2021, finding him guilty under the POCSO Act, IPC section 302 (murder), and other provisions.

Dinesh Kumar Dharne from Madhya Pradesh had appealed against the MSJ court judgment, but the Telangana High Court dismissed his petition today, confirming his death sentence, according to the Narsingi Police.

The prosecution stated that on December 12, 2017, under the pretext of offering chocolates, Dharne took the girl into nearby bushes, where he raped and murdered her by hitting her head with a boulder. He was subsequently arrested.