A division bench of Justices V K Tahilramani and V L Achliya was earlier this week hearing a petition filed by Arvind Kumar Yadav challenging the life sentence awarded to him by a sessions court for the rape and murder of the six-year-old girl.
According to the prosecution, on February 23, 2007 the convict, who worked as a mason in a construction site in neighbouring Thane district, took the girl with him under the pretext of buying her biscuits and chocolates.
The high court after perusing medical evidence noted that the victim was raped and sexually assaulted before she was murdered. "We have no hesitation to hold that the prosecution has fully established that the deceased had met with a homicidal death. The prosecution has also established that the victim was raped before she was murdered," the court said.
"If we consider overall evidence in its totality, then the prosecution has established complete chain of circumstance that is taking away the victim girl by the appellant (Yadav) and the appellant being lastly seen in the company of victim girl about three hours prior to her dead body being recovered" the court said.
Accepting the prosecution's case, the court upheld the life sentence awarded to Yadav and dismissed his appeal.