Supreme Court stays death sentence of man convicted for rape, murder of Ranchi student

Supreme Court stays death sentence for man convicted of raping and murdering engineering student in Ranchi.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (December 3, 2024) stayed the death sentence of a 30-year–old man convicted for the rape and murder of a 19-year-old engineering student in the Jharkhand capital Ranchi.

A Bench of Justices Surya Kant, Pankaj Mithal and Ujjal Bhuyan called for the translated copy of the Trial Court and the High Court records.

"Death sentence awarded shall remain stayed. The registry to acquisition records from the Trial Court and the High Court along with the soft copy," the Bench directed.

On September 9, the Jharkhand High Court confirmed the death sentence given to Rahul Kumar alias Rahul Raj, who hails from Nawada district of Bihar, by the Trial Court.

The brutal killing of the young woman, who was raped, strangled and then set on fire, took place on December 15, 2016. Three years later, in December 2019, the Trial Court sentenced Kumar to death.

The High Court said in its order, "Life of a bright young girl aged 19 years who was studying in an engineering college, was snuffed out in a most barbaric manner, is established by the post mortem examination report duly proved by the doctors who formed the Medical Board to conduct the autopsy over the dead body of the victim."

It said Kumar had come prepared with cable cord and electric wire to strangulate the victim and also with three jerkins of lubricant oil to set her on fire after the incident.