PRAYAGRAJ, July 2 -- The Pocso court here recently awarded death sentence to a man who raped and murdered a 3-year-old girl in Prayagraj six years ago. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO) court judge Vinod Kumar Chaurasia observed, "This case is extremely cruel, inhumane, and shocking to society. The accused has zero chance of reform. The culprit deserves the death penalty. He should be hanged until his life is over." The court imposed the death penalty for both offences under Sections 376A (rape resulting in death) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code. A fine of Rs 25,000 was also imposed for each offence. The court also directed the District Legal Services Authority to provide compensation of Rs 200,000 to the victim's legal heirs. During the investigation, the police inspected the scene, collected scientific and forensic evidence, and conducted a post-mortem. Medical examinations indicated rape and strangulation. After completing the investigation, the police filed a charge sheet against the accused in court under sections 376A, 302 of the IPC, and sections 5/6 of the Pocso Act. During the trial, the prosecution presented a total of 13 witnesses, including the victim's father, mother, grandmother, the doctor who performed the post-mortem and the investigating officer. The court thoroughly examined the oral, medical, scientific, documentary, and circumstantial evidence. The accused was subsequently convicted by the Pocso court on June 29. The incident had taken place on June 12, 2020 and an FIR was lodged on June 13,2020 at Handia police station in Prayagraj While imposing a cost of Rs 50,000 on a petitioner, the Allahabad high court dismissed a PIL that sought an order to recall another division bench's orders passed in a different case, granting bail and suspending the sentence of a murder convict. The bench comprising Justice JJ Munir and Justice Arun Kumar, terming the prayers made in the petition as 'outrageous' and 'shocking', dismissed the public interest litigation petition filed by one Lal Chand Yadav of Azamgarh. The court in its order dated June 25 refused to look into the merits of the case due to the nature of the jurisdic- tion invoked and the relief sought....