Kalu and Kanha, two brothers from the Kaleblia tribe, were convicted on Saturday for the crime, which took place in August 2022. The girl had gone missing while grazing cattle and was later found to have been raped and burned alive in a coal furnace.

The POCSO court, which deals with cases involving sexual offenses against children, also acquitted seven other individuals, including three women, who were accused of destroying evidence.

The acquittal is expected to be challenged in the Rajasthan High Court. Two of the three women are reportedly married to Kalu and Kanha.

"The court has awarded the death penalty to both prime accused Kalu Kalbeliya and his brother Kanha Kalbeliya," said Special Public Prosecutor Mahaveer Singh Kishnawat. "They had not only raped a minor for over four hours but also burnt her alive in a coal furnace in the village. I am grateful to the court and the judiciary for noting the case as a 'rarest of the rare category' and pronouncing the highest punishment for them."

Background:

The minor girl from Bhilwara's Kotri was gang-raped on August 2, and her charred body was found in a coal furnace the next day. Her family members launched a search and found the girl's bracelet and slippers outside an open furnace emitting fire. 

After a search operation, half-burnt body parts, suspected to be of the deceased, were recovered from a pond in the village on August 4. Some of the minor's body parts were allegedly burnt in the furnace while other parts were disposed of in a nearby pond to destroy all evidence.