Chandigarh, Sept. 25 -- The Punjab and Haryana high court has commuted death sentence awarded to a migrant to 30- year jail for rape and murder of a 5-year-old girl in Tohana area of Fatehabad in Haryana in June 2024.

The bench of justice Vinod S Bhardwaj and Ravinder Malik also acquitted a co-accused, who was also awarded death penalty, giving him the benefit of doubt.

It was on June 29 when convict Mukesh Kumar, a migrant labourer from Bihar had dinner at the victim's father's house after having liquor. While the father went to sleep the convict left from there. However, the father woke up at 3am and noticed his daughter was not lying on the cot. Later, she was found in nearby fields in a bleeding condition. The girl died after 10 day...