Mysuru: A Mysuru Fast Track Special Court on Saturday sentenced 32-year-old Karthik alias Garadi to death under the Pocso Act, for the rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl in 2025. Child rights activists welcomed the verdict, noting that the case was decided within a year.Special public prosecutor (SPP) KB Jayanthi said the prosecution sought the death penalty arguing that the crime fell under the “rarest of rare” category, citing the victim’s age, the brutality of the assault and the 27 stab and cut injuries inflicted on the child.The victim belonged to a nomadic family that had travelled from Kalaburagi to Mysuru for Dasara. They sold balloons and other trinkets. The six-member family lived in a makeshift tent on the footpath along Manasara Road, within the Nazarbad police limits. The crime occurred on Oct 9, 2025, a week after Dasara festivities ended. Investigators said Karthik, a bus cleaner, had followed the family from around 9 pm the previous night and interacted with the child. At around 3.21 am, he allegedly abducted her from the tent, carried her about 100 feet away and sexually assaulted herThe crime came to light in the morning when the girl’s father realised she was missing. After a brief search, he found her body. Kartik was subsequently arrested, within 15 hours of the crime being committed, from a bar in Kollegala, in neighbouring Chamarajanagar district, around 65 km from Mysuru.SPP Jayanthi also highlighted that the accused was a repeat offender who was out on bail in a case involving an attempt to murder an official in Kollegala. The prosecution argued that there was no likelihood of him reforming. “The prosecution presented a strong and complete chain of evidence, establishing Karthik’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt through witness testimonies and documentary evidence,” Jayanthi saidSpecial Court judge Anand P Hogade sentenced Karthik to death under Section 6 of the Pocso Act, 2012, and Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Pronouncing the order in open court, the judge directed that Karthik be hanged by the neck until dead, as prescribed under Section 393(5) of BNSS, 2023The judge also directed that the entire proceedings be submitted to Karnataka high court “forthwith” for confirmation of the death sentence. The court ordered compensation of Rs 13.5 lakh to the victim’s family under the National Legal Services Authority scheme.Jayanthi said Karthik fell silent after the verdict and sought a review through a lawyer provided by the District Legal Services Authority, citing his aged mother and mentally challenged brother who depended on him.The chargesheet filed by investigating officer P Rajendra, ACP of Devaraja sub-division, listed 83 witnesses.
