A special POCSO court in Punjab has sentenced Nanke Yadav, a native of Uttar Pradesh, to death for the abduction, sexual assault and murder of a five-year-old boy in Hoshiarpur district.

Judge Manpreet Kaur held that the nature and gravity of the offence brought the case within the “rarest of rare” category. However, the death sentence cannot be executed unless it is confirmed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The case dates back to September 9, 2023, when the five-year-old boy was allegedly abducted while playing outside his house in New Deep Nagar. His body was recovered the next day from a cremation ground in Purhiran.

The incident sparked widespread outrage in Hoshiarpur, with the victim’s family and local residents demanding stringent punishment. After considering the evidence presented by the prosecution, the court convicted Yadav under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The court pronounced the sentence a day before the statutory deadline under Section 35 of the POCSO Act, which requires special courts to endeavour to complete trials within one year from the date of taking cognisance of an offence.

The verdict comes nearly three years after the child’s murder and provides a significant development in the case for the victim’s family, which had been awaiting the conclusion of the trial.

The case had also led to protests and controversy over the presence of migrant workers in the area. Several panchayats subsequently passed resolutions concerning migrant settlements. These developments, however, were separate from the court’s findings on Yadav’s criminal liability in the case.