‘Caused severe psychological harm’: Why UP court called it a ‘rarest of rare’ case; UP couple gets death for sexually abusing 33 boys, sold images on dark web

LUCKNOW: A special POCSO court in Banda has sentenced a former government junior engineer, Ram Bhawan (50), and his wife Durgawati (47), to death for the repeated sexual abuse of 33 minor boys over a period of about a decade. The court convicted the couple under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and IPCIn its order, the judge described the case as falling within the “rarest of rare” category, citing the scale, duration and systematic nature of the offences, and observing that there was “no room for reformation”. According to the prosecution case and court findings, the offences took place between 2010 and 2020. The victims included boys as young as three years old. The chargesheet stated that the couple targeted minor boys from economically weaker families living in their neighbourhood. Children were allegedly lured with money, food, mobile phones, internet access and online video games. Once trust was established, the boys were sexually assaulted inside the accused’s residence, investigators said. The abuse was recorded on mobile phones and other digital devices. Prosecutors told the court that the recordings were sold and circulated online, including on encrypted platforms and the dark web. Investigators alleged that the material was accessed by customers in as many as 47 countries. The case came to light after Interpol flagged child sexual abuse material circulating on the dark web that was traced back to the couple. The investigation was subsequently taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). An FIR was registered by the CBI on 31 October 2020 against Ram Bhawan, Durgawati and others unknown. The allegations included sexual abuse and the creation and dissemination of child sexual abuse material. During the course of the investigation, officials seized digital devices and gathered electronic records. Medical examinations of the victims were conducted, and statements were recorded. A chargesheet was filed on 10 February 2021. During the trial, the prosecution relied on multiple strands of evidence, including survivor testimonies, medical expert reports and digital evidence recovered from seized phones and storage devices. The court observed that the offences caused severe physical and psychological harm to the children. Some victims required hospital treatment for injuries, while others developed complications including squint eyes. The judge noted that the abuse had continued for nearly a decade and involved a large number of children, describing the acts as systematic and exploitative. On 20–21 February 2026, the special POCSO court convicted the couple of multiple offences and awarded the death penalty. In addition to the capital sentence, the court directed the Uttar Pradesh government to pay compensation of ₹10 lakh to each of the 33 victims. The court’s classification of the case as “rarest of rare” reflects the legal threshold required for awarding capital punishment, which is reserved for offences considered exceptionally grave in nature.