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2021 case:Sacked ASI sentenced to life for raping widow in Bathinda
A special court in Bathinda has sentenced dismissed Punjab Police assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Gurvinder Singh to life imprisonment after holding him guilty of raping a widow in May 2021
BATHINDA: A special court in Bathinda has sentenced dismissed Punjab Police assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Gurvinder Singh to life imprisonment after holding him guilty of raping a widow in May 2021.
In his judgment delivered on Wednesday, district and sessions judge Rajesh Kumar ordered that Gurvinder Singh will undergo rigorous imprisonment for the remainder of his life for committing rape while serving as a police officer. The detailed order was released on Thursday.
The court convicted him primarily under Section 376(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertains to rape committed by a police officer, and imposed a fine of ₹20,000. He was also found guilty under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment. Additionally, he was awarded another seven-year term for trespassing and other related offences. All sentences will run concurrently.
However, the court discharged the accused of the charge of abduction in the same case.
Gurvinder, who was part of the crime investigation agency-1 (CIA) of Bathinda police, was caught on camera while raping a widow at her house, falling under the Nathana police station area, on May 11, 2021.
The complainant had alleged that her son was falsely implicated in an NDPS case after she refused sexual advances made by the accused officer. On May 6, 2021, Gurvinder arrested her son, who she claimed was suffering from Covid-19, and allegedly recovered 400 grams of opium from him. After her son’s arrest, the widow was sexually assaulted by the accused cop twice.
Following the complaint, Gurvinder was arrested and dismissed from service on May 12, 2021.
During the trial, the defence argued that the accused had been framed to pressure the police into releasing the woman’s son from the narcotics case. The defence also pointed out that the DNA report relating to the alleged rape on May 10, 2021, was negative and that the victim’s undergarments were not sent for forensic examination.
Rejecting these arguments, the court observed that the failure to send garments for forensic analysis was merely an irregularity on the part of the investigating officer and did not weaken the prosecution’s case. The court further noted that a DNA report is only an expert opinion and that the most reliable evidence is the ocular testimony of the survivor.
“The testimony of the prosecutrix is credible and trustworthy,” the court held in its order.
The judgment also recorded that the motorcycle used by the accused to visit the victim’s residence was found to be stolen and bearing a fake registration number plate.
