HC orders release of differently abled convict

THE HIGH Court at Hyderabad for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on Friday ordered the release of a differently abled man who was sentenced for life in a rape and murder case eight years ago.

The HC said Pidatala Satyam Babuwasfalselyimplicatedbypolice who were under pressure to crack the case.

Bpharmstudentayeshameera was raped and murdered in a hostel near Vijayawada on December 27, 2007. According to the HC, the police implicated Babu (24), who was mentally unsound and agreed to whatever charges the police accused him of. Vijayawada Police had claimed to have cracked the murder case after they arrested Babu, a Dalit, in a mobile theft case in August 2008.

The High Court observed that the Mahila Court at Vijayawada did not consider any evidence that suggested that Babu raped and murdered the girl, and simply sentenced him to life under public pressure. The HC also ordered a probe against the officers who implicated the man, and asked the Andhra government to pay Rs 1 crore compensation to Babu.

At the time of his arrest, Babu was suffering from GB Syndrome, which had badly affected his nervous system and paralysed his legs.

Chouhan for death to rapists

Bhopal: CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan Friday, who has earlier advocated death penalty for rapists of minor girls, said a Bill to this effect would be moved in the monsoon session of the Assembly. He was speaking at a joint convocation ceremony at the police academy here. The CM had first called for death penalty for rapists in 2012 when he had said that “rape is a bigger crime than murder”. ENS