Nasrapur minor’s rape-murder trial begins; prosecution seeks to add evidence tampering charge

Pune: The trial in the Nasrapur minor girl rape and murder case commenced on Friday before special judge S R Salunkhe, with the prosecution seeking to add a fresh charge against the accused for allegedly destroying evidence.During the in-camera proceedings, special public prosecutor Ajay Misar moved an application to alter the existing charges by adding Section 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to causing the disappearance of evidence of an offense.The court noted that both the prosecution and the defense will present arguments on this application in the coming sessions.The accused, Bhimrao Kamble (65), who is currently in judicial custody, was produced before the court via video conferencing. He is represented by legal aid defense counsel Himmatrao Suryawanshi.A three-year-old girl from Nasrapur in Pune district was allegedly raped and murdered on May 1. The accused, Kamble, was arrested the same day.On the opening day of the trial, the prosecution produced several key exhibits, including the victim’s footprints and photographs, a pen drive containing video footage and additional photographs, the complainant’s formal statement and the first information report, the victim’s birth certificate (to establish age) and the statements and depositions from other prosecution witnesses.The court had framed charges against Kamble on Thursday, observing that the chargesheet and available evidence provided sufficient prima facie grounds to proceed. Given the gravity and sensitive nature of the case, judge Salunkhe directed that the trial be conducted on a day-to-day basis and strictly in-camera.During the hearing on Wednesday, Misar submitted before the court that the prosecution would rely on CCTV footage collected during the investigation. According to the prosecution, the accused was seen in the footage taking the minor girl away on May 1.Due to time constraints, the further examination-in-chief was deferred. The matter is scheduled to continue for the recording of evidence and the hearing of the prosecution’s plea to add the evidence-tampering charge.The court also reaffirmed that the accused will continue to appear via video conferencing unless his physical presence is deemed necessary for the proceedings.