A court awarded the death penalty to a 65-year-old accused for the rape and murder of a three-year-old girl in Maharashtra. The judgment may be reviewed by the Bombay High Court if the accused files an appeal, according to The Hindu.

The trial in Maharashtra was conducted as a special fast‑track trial ordered by the Chief Minister, as reported by The Times of India. CCTV footage showed the accused luring the child to a cowshed where the heinous act occurred, also reported by The Times of India.

In a separate case, a POCSO court in Bargarh district, Odisha sentenced a 35-year-old youth, Prashanta Bag, to death for the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl, according to deathpenaltynews.blogspot.com. The court convicted Bag under two sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, as the same source noted.

Justice Kiran Kumar Pradhan directed the District Legal Services Authority to provide compensation of Rs 15 lakh to the victim's family, reported by deathpenaltynews.blogspot.com. The incident occurred on November 15, 2024, and villagers found the girl's body in the Soda forests under Paikamal police station area of Bargarh, according to the same source. The accused, a farm labourer who had taken three children from Paikmal police station, confessed to raping and killing the minor, as reported by deathpenaltynews.blogspot.com.