The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the death sentence of 30-year-old Rahul Kumar, who was convicted for the rape and murder of a 19-year-old engineering student in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
The bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant, Pankaj Mithal, and Ujjal Bhuyan, directed that a translated copy of the trial court and high court records be provided.
The death sentence had been confirmed by the Jharkhand High Court on September 9, following the trial court’s conviction. Kumar, from Nawada district in Bihar, was found guilty of the brutal killing of the young woman on December 15, 2016. After a lengthy trial, the trial court sentenced him to death in December 2019.
High Court’s judgment detailed the horrific nature of the crime, highlighting that the victim, a promising engineering student, was raped, strangled, and then set on fire. The post-mortem report confirmed the brutal nature of the attack. The court noted that Kumar had arrived at the scene with the intent to murder, carrying a cable cord and electric wire to strangle the victim, as well as lubricant oil to set her body on fire after the crime.
“Strangulation was so intense that the cable cord and electric wire got embedded in the neck of the victim. Afterward, he poured lubricant oil over her body and set it on fire,” the High Court’s order stated.
The court also mentioned that the crime was premeditated, with Kumar stalking the victim and attempting to rent a room near her house before committing the murder. The High Court described the crime as “diabolically planned and ruthlessly executed.”
Following the Supreme Court’s stay, the case will now be reviewed, with the court calling for a detailed examination of the trial and high court records before proceeding further.
