The principal of a government primary school in Limkheda, Dahod district was formally charged on Thursday for the alleged murder of a six-year-old pupil who reportedly resisted a rape attempt on 19 September.
The trial, which has been expedited, began with Additional District Judge H H Thakkar who framed charges based on the First Information Report (FIR) filed by Dahod district police on 20 September. The principal faces multiple charges, including those related to rape committed by guardians or persons in positions of trust, such as teachers.
Charges were framed under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including murder, rape by a teacher in a position of authority, punishment for causing death during the commission of rape, wrongful confinement and causing disappearance of evidence. Additional charges under the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Act were also included, as per the police FIR.
The prosecution submitted evidence to the court, including CCTV footage of the crime scene reconstruction and forensic evidence gathered during the investigation. The defence counsel had previously received case documents on 14 October.
Special Public Prosecutor Amit Nair told a section of media, “The trial commenced today with the District Court framing charges against the accused. Witness examination will begin at the next hearing on 21 October.”
This development comes a fortnight after Dahod district police filed a 1,700-page charge sheet, supported by “strong scientific evidence” including DNA profiling and forensic vehicle analysis.
The prosecution has submitted reports of Epithelial Cell DNA testing conducted on the accused’s car, despite his alleged attempts to destroy evidence by having the vehicle cleaned after the incident.
Dahod police employed various forensic techniques in their investigation, including psychological analysis of crime scenes, forensic chemistry, vehicle analysis, toxicology, and voice spectrography.
The victim’s body was discovered in the school’s backyard on the evening of 19 September after she failed to return home. The family reported that the child had been driven to school by the accused that morning. Police allege that the principal smothered the girl to death after she screamed during an attempted rape.
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