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U.S. Presidential Election 2024: Death penalty absent from campaign, but not from minds

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Kamala Harris, once openly opposed to the death penalty despite political costs, now avoids the topic as a candidate. Meanwhile, Donald Trump advocates tougher criminal policies, though presidential authority in this area is limited. A few blocks from downtown Richmond, Virginia, the intersection of Spring Street and Belvidere Street now presents a completely different view. Where once stood a grim, old brick building, there is now a modern building with a glass facade reflecting the sun shining on Virginia’s capital. Trees along the wide Belvidere Street give the neighborhood a promenade-like feel, with the James River flowing nearby along the memorial for American war dead.

India | Gujarat man sentenced to death for rape murder of 8-year-old girl

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Gir Somnath (Gujarat), Jul 30 (PTI) A special POCSO court has sentenced to death a 32-year-old man for raping and murdering an eight-year-old girl in Gujarat's Gir Somnath district in 2022.

In an order passed on Monday, special judge S I Bhorania at Kodinar town ordered that the accused, Somabhai Solanki, be "hanged by the neck till he is dead," and also directed him to pay Rs 25,000 as fine.

The court counted this as the "rarest of the rare case" after observing the accused committed the crime in a very cruel and heartless manner, leaving it with no other option but to sentence him to death.

The gruesome crime occurred in a village under Kodinar taluka of Gir Somnath district in June 2022.

The district police had formed a special investigation team which arrested Solanki 25 days after the horrific incident, said public prosecutor Ketansinh Vala.

The accused was charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) for rape, murder of the minor girl and disposing of her body at an isolated place.

"A total of 55 documentary evidences were presented before the court and the prosecution examined the family members of the victim, her neighbours, police as well as forensic officials during the trial," Vala told media persons.

Scientific and circumstantial evidence collected by investigators helped the prosecution in securing conviction and the harshest punishment for the accused, he said.

The court also directed that the minor girl's family be paid Rs 17 lakh under the Gujarat Victim Compensation Scheme, 2019.

Source: PTI, Staff, July 30, 2024

_____________________________________________________________________








"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde



Location: Gir Somnath, Gujarat, India
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