‘Rarest of Rare’: UP court awards death penalty to couple for abusing 33 minors over 10 years
Mangalore Today News Network
New Delhi, Feb 21, 2026: A special POCSO court in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh on Friday sentenced a former junior engineer of the Irrigation Department and his wife to death for sexually abusing 33 minor boys — some as young as three years old — over a period of 10 years, officials said.
The court described the offences as falling in the “rarest of rare” category and convicted Ram Bhawan and his wife Durgawati for systematically abusing children between 2010 and 2020 and for producing child sexual abuse material.
Holding them guilty under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the court imposed the death sentence for crimes including aggravated penetrative sexual assault, using children for pornographic purposes, storing such material, and criminal conspiracy.
According to a statement issued by the CBI, the trial court also directed the Uttar Pradesh government to pay Rs 10 lakh as compensation to each of the 33 victims. The court further ordered that the cash seized from the accused’s residence be distributed equally among the victims.
Explaining its decision, the court said the scale, severity and systematic nature of the offences demonstrated extreme depravity, placing the case in the “rarest of rare” category and warranting the maximum punishment.
The CBI had registered the case on October 31, 2020, against Ram Bhawan and others on charges of sexually abusing children, exploiting them for pornographic purposes, and creating and circulating child sexual abuse material online.
During the investigation, the agency found that the accused had committed repeated aggravated sexual assaults on 33 minor boys. Some victims suffered physical injuries and required hospitalisation, while others continue to face psychological trauma, officials said.
The accused were active in Banda and Chitrakoot districts between 2010 and 2020. Investigators found that Ram Bhawan allegedly lured children by offering access to online video games, money and gifts.
He was identified during CBI monitoring of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the internet.
Officials said the investigation was conducted with sensitivity towards the minor victims, ensuring counselling support and coordination with forensic and medical experts as well as child protection authorities. Digital evidence was carefully preserved during the probe.
The CBI filed a chargesheet against the couple on February 10, 2021, within months of registering the case.