The Bombay high court on Monday upheld the death sentence of a 25-year-old man who raped a 13-year-old schoolgirl and dumped her body in a marshy land in Alibaug in 2012.A division bench of justices VK Tahilramani and IK Jain confirmed the death sentence of Madhya Pradesh resident Viran Rajput, who was working as a labourer in Alibaug, stating that he had not shown any remorse after the incident and was wandering in the village.

"The accused committed the offence in order to satisfy his lust. He forcibly raped a defenceless 13-and-a-half-year-old schoolgoing girl and eliminated her life, which is the ultimate insult to womanhood. The crime was committed in a beastly, brutal and barbaric manner. The subsequent conduct of the accused indicates that he had felt no remorse," the bench observed.

The HC was hearing a confirmation petition filed by the state government seeking that Rajput's death sentence be upheld.

All death sentences awarded by the sessions court have to be confirmed by the HC. Rajput, too, had filed an appeal challenging his conviction and death sentence, after the sessions court in Alibaug convicted him on June 26, 2014.

According to additional public prosecutor Arfan Sait, the victim used to study in Std IX and used to walk from home to school, which was approximately 4 km away, amid a forest.

On October 17, 2012, she was returning from school around 5.30pm-6pm when Rajput lured and raped her. He then strangulated her, and dumped her body in a muddy area, covering it with leaves.

When the girl did not reach home, her parents started looking for her. The next day, one of the labourers working in the area informed them that Rajput had inquired with him about an address the previous day. He saw Rajput once again in the night in the same area and saw that he was covered in mud.

The police then arrested him. During interrogation, he confessed to having raped and killed the girl. He even showed the police where he had disposed of the body. But he later pleaded innocence at the time of trial. However, the trial court found him guilty of the offence based on circumstantial and medical evidence submitted by the prosecution.

His advocate, Vinit Kulkarni, sought leniency before the HC, saying that Rajput had the responsibility of his wife, two children who are three and two years old, and parents.

But the judges observed, "Considering the nature of the offence and the manner in which it was committed, this falls in the category of the rarest of rare cases."