PRAYAGRAJ, March 31 -- In a vital judgment, a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in Prayagraj sentenced 25-year-old Mukesh Patel to death for the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl. Additional sessions judge and special judge Vinod Kumar Chaurasia on Monday described the crime as "extremely heinous and one that shocks the collective conscience of society."

The court also imposed a fine of Rs.25,000 on the convict and emphasised that the punishment of death-by hanging-was warranted. The verdict was delivered within 18 months of the incident.

The court directed the District Legal Services Authority in Prayagraj to provide immediate compensation of up to Rs.2 lakh to the victim's family, in addition to the fin...