Assam Court Awards Death Sentence in 2023 Rape-Murder of 4-Year-Old
GUWAHATI: A court in Assam’s Bilasipara has sentenced Utpal Roy to death after convicting him of raping and murdering a four-year-old girl at Krishnakali Tea Estate in 2023.
The Additional District and Sessions Court in Bilasipara, with Special Judge Rana Dutta presiding, imposed the capital sentence after finding Roy guilty in the case. The court described the offence as falling within the legally recognised “rarest of rare” category, according to reports citing the prosecution.
The verdict was delivered on September 14, according to PTI and NDTV reports, although several local reports published on September 15 described the judgment as having been delivered on Tuesday. The latest reporting consistently places the sentencing in mid-September 2026.
Child went missing from tea estate area in 2023
The case dates back to September 2023, when the four-year-old girl went missing from her home in the Chapar area of Assam’s Dhubri district.
According to the prosecution case reported by multiple outlets, a search operation was launched after the girl’s family complained to Chapar Police. Her body was recovered three days later inside the tea estate with the assistance of a sniffer dog. A magistrate and forensic personnel were present during the recovery and evidence collection, reports said.
The prosecution alleged that Roy took the child into the tea garden, sexually assaulted her and then killed her. Investigators alleged that the body was abandoned inside the plantation after the killing. These details concern the prosecution’s case; the court has now convicted Roy after considering the evidence presented during the trial.
Chapar Police registered Case No. 179/23. The case involved provisions of the Indian Penal Code relating to kidnapping, rape, murder and disappearance of evidence, along with Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, or POCSO.
Court imposes additional sentences and fines
The death sentence was imposed for murder. The court also handed down additional statutory sentences and fines for the other offences.
NDTV reported that Roy was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment and fined Rs 50,000 for aggravated penetrative sexual assault against a child. He was also sentenced to five years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 4,000 for causing disappearance of evidence and giving false information to screen an offender. The murder conviction carried a Rs 10,000 fine, with six months of simple imprisonment in default.
The court directed that the sentences run concurrently, according to the same report.
The prosecution was led by government advocate Tapan Bhatt. Reports said the investigation was initially handled by police officer Arpana Talukdar, later taken over by Ranjit Kakati, with investigating officer Deepjyoti Ingti subsequently filing the chargesheet. The chargesheet was submitted in March 2024.
Death sentence is not yet executable
The sentencing marks the end of the trial at the Bilasipara court, but it does not mean the death penalty can be carried out immediately.
Under Section 407 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, a death sentence imposed by a Court of Session must be submitted to the High Court for confirmation. The sentence cannot be executed unless the High Court confirms it. The provision has been in force since July 1, 2024.
The High Court also has powers under the subsequent provisions of the BNSS to examine the case, order further inquiry or additional evidence where required, confirm the sentence, impose another sentence, annul the conviction or acquit the accused.
The case will therefore remain subject to the next stage of judicial scrutiny before any execution could take place.
Nearly three years after the crime
The verdict came almost three years after the child’s death. The case began with her disappearance from the tea-estate area in September 2023 and proceeded through investigation, the filing of the chargesheet, and trial before the Bilasipara court.
The court’s sentencing order represents the latest development in the case. The High Court confirmation process will determine whether the capital sentence is upheld, modified, or otherwise dealt with under the law.
This story may be updated as new information becomes available.
