A fast-track court in Malegaon, Nashik district, has sentenced 24-year-old Vijay Sanjay Khairnar to death for the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl, describing the crime as one of the “rarest of the rare” cases. The court also directed that financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh be provided to the victim’s family.
Additional sessions court and fast-track special court judge KG Paldewar pronounced the sentence on Friday after convicting Khairnar on September 30. The accused, who is in jail, and his lawyer Nilesh Rathi attended the proceedings through video conferencing, according to the report by Mid-Day with inputs from PTI.
The incident took place on November 16, 2025, in a village in Malegaon taluka. The child had gone missing while playing near her home with other children. Her body was later found near a mobile phone tower close to Khairnar’s house. Khairnar, described as a welder and furniture worker, was arrested on November 17.
The case was registered at Malegaon taluka police station under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to murder, rape, kidnapping and causing the disappearance of evidence, along with relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The prosecution case relied entirely on circumstantial evidence and the last-seen-together theory.
Government lawyers told the court that witness testimonies, forensic reports and medical examinations were used to establish the child’s homicidal death beyond reasonable doubt. Senior advocate Ujwal Nikam served as special public prosecutor, assisted by advocates Harshad Tiwari, Sneha Sharma and SK Sonawane. Advocate Sneha Sharma-Thakare represented the victim’s family.
According to the prosecution arguments reported by Mid-Day, the accused was known to the children as “Dada” and allegedly lured the girl with a chocolate before taking her inside his house. Prosecutors said he then disposed of the body in a mobile tower compound near the house. The report also said that a chance witness saw the accused throwing what appeared to be garbage.
The crime had triggered protests across Malegaon taluka, adjoining areas of Nashik district and parts of Maharashtra. The prosecution described the act as unprovoked, cold-blooded and heinous while seeking the maximum sentence. The court’s reasoned order was not available at the time of publication.
