JUDGMENT

(Order of the Court was delivered by SUNDER MOHAN,J.)

This Criminal Appeal has been filed by the sole accused, challenging the conviction and sentence imposed upon him vide judgment dated 11.05.2017 in Spl.S.C.No.38 of 2016 on the file of the learned Sessions Judge, Fast Track Mahila Court, Tiruvannamalai.

2. For the sake of convenience, the accused is hereinafter referred to as 'appellant'.

3(i) It is the case of the prosecution that the deceased is the minor daughter of PW1; that on 02.06.2016 deceased along with PW1 came to their native village for making arrangements for the marriage of PW1's son one Balaji; that the appellant taking advantage of the age of the deceased decided to commit rape on her; that at about 4.00 p.m., on the same day, the appellant deceived the deceased and induced her to come to a covered place surrounded by sugarcane crop on the pretext of fetching green chillies; that the appellant removed the dress of the deceased and had forcible sexual intercourse; and that in order to conceal the said offence, caused the death of the deceased by strangulating her neck, as a result of which, the deceased died due to asphyxia.

(ii) It is the further case of the