Agra, Sept. 3 -- A 50-year-old undertrial was sentenced to death for murder and rape of an 8-year-old minor Dalit girl in the forests of Vrindavan in 2020. The Court of Special Judge (POCSO Act) at Mathura gave the verdict after finding the accused guilty of murder, rape and tampering with the evidence. The judgement came on Tuesday in Session trial number 173 of 2021, State versus Mahesh aka Masua who was booked under section 363 (kidnapping), 376 (rape), 377 (intercourse against order of nature), 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code. As the girl was minor and from schedule caste, the accused was also booked under relevant sections of POCSO Act and SC/ST Act in case registered at Vrindavan police station of Mathura district. The incident took place on November 26, 2020, and the body of the minor victim was recovered the next day in the forest area of Vrindavan. Accused Mahesh was found guilty under POCSO Act for rape of minor and court found him liable for death sentence beside penalty of Rs one lakh. He faced rigorous imprisonment of seven years for causing disappearance of evidence and was sentenced to life imprisonment under SC/ST Act. The court cited the Supreme Court which in such a case had stated 'The faith of society by such barbaric act of the accused gets totally shaken and its cry for justice becomes loud and clear'. As the 8 year girl was killed for no provocation, the act of murder was held to be in cold bold making the crime fall in category of 'rarest of rare' thus inviting death penalty, said Brijesh Kumar, the Special Judge (POCSO Court) at Mathura....