Banda POCSO Court Awards Death Sentence to Couple for Systematic Abuse of 33 Children
In a verdict described as falling within the “rarest of rare” category, a special POCSO court in Banda has sentenced a suspended junior engineer of the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department and his wife to death for the prolonged sexual exploitation of dozens of children and the circulation of explicit material involving them online.
The case, investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), dates back to October 2020. The agency stated that the court convicted Ram Bhawan, 48, and his wife Durgawati, 45, under multiple provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and the Information Technology Act.
According to the CBI, the trial court found that the couple’s actions reflected “unparalleled depravity” and a calculated pattern of abuse involving 33 minor victims.
The offences included aggravated penetrative sexual assault, unnatural offences, using children for pornographic purposes, storing explicit content featuring minors, criminal conspiracy and abetment.
On Friday, the two were brought to court under heavy security for sentencing.
Special Judge Pradeep Kumar Mishra pronounced the death penalty, observing that the gravity, scale and organized nature of the crimes justified the harshest punishment under law.
The prosecution presented 74 witnesses during the trial, including 25 victims. Investigators recovered 34 videos and 678 photographs from the accused’s possession, officials said.
The court also directed the state government to pay Rs 10 lakh in compensation to each victim. Additionally, Rs 8.27 lakh in cash seized from the couple’s residence during the probe is to be distributed equally among the victims.
Ram Bhawan, originally from Banda, had served in postings across Hamirpur, Banda and Chitrakoot districts.
He was arrested in November 2020 from Chitrakoot, his last place of posting, and has remained in jail since.
Durgawati was taken into custody a month later; though she had been out on bail, she was remanded following her conviction earlier this week.
The prosecution alleged that the CBI arrested Ram Bhawan after sustained surveillance and later detained Durgawati for her alleged involvement, including threatening witnesses and concealing evidence.
Medical examinations of the victims were conducted in Delhi as part of the investigation.
Defence counsel Bhura Prasad Nishad said the couple intends to challenge the verdict in a higher court.
The judgment marks one of the most severe sentences delivered in a POCSO case in the region, underscoring the judiciary’s firm stance against systemic sexual exploitation of children.
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