20-year jail for Chandigarh teen who raped 15-year-old

Pronouncing the judgment keeping in view the heinous nature of the crime where the victim was 15 years old, the court of additional sessions judge Yashika also imposed a fine of ₹1.1 lakh on the convict

Trying a 17-year-old boy as an adult under provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, a local court on Friday sentenced him to 20-year rigorous imprisonment for raping and impregnating a minor girl in 2022.

Currently 20 years old, the convict was 17 when the rape case was registered against him at the Sarangpur police station in 2022 (iStock)

Pronouncing the judgment keeping in view the heinous nature of the crime where the victim was 15 years old, the court of additional sessions judge Yashika also imposed a fine of ₹1.1 lakh on the convict.

Currently 20 years old, the convict was 17 when the rape case was registered against him at the Sarangpur police station in 2022.

He has been ordered to stay in the juvenile home till he attains the age of 21, following which he will be shifted to Model Jail, Sector 51, Chandigarh, for serving the imprisonment, states the order.

Raped minor on finding her home alone

In 2022, the victim had complained to the police that the accused used to forcibly enter her house on finding her alone and rape her. He also threatened her with dire consequences if she complained to anyone. The matter came to light when the girl got pregnant. She eventually underwent an abortion.

Following his conviction, the convict pleaded for mercy before the court, stating that he had two sisters and needed to look after his family. However, the plea was turned down by the court.

How can a juvenile be tried as adult

All accused aged under 18 were tried under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act or JJ Act, 2000. This changed with the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

The new law created a category for juvenile accused aged between 16 and 18, involved in heinous offences, to be tried as adults.

Section 15 of the Act requires the Juvenile Justice Board to conduct a preliminary assessment with regard to the child’s mental and physical capacity to commit such offence, ability to understand the consequences of the offence and the circumstances in which they allegedly committed the offence.

The board can seek the assistance of experienced psychologists or other experts for the assessment.