E-Paper
20-year jail for man who raped 14-year-old in Panchkula
The Panchkula court stated that the fine of ₹50,000 imposed under the POCSO Act, upon realisation, shall be paid to the victim as per the provisions of Section 4(3) of the Act
Over four years after he raped a 14-year-old girl in Panchkula, a 30-year-old man was sentenced to 20 years in jail by a special POCSO court in Panchkula on Monday.
Deputy district attorney Sukhwinder Kaur said the minor girl narrated the entire incident during her testimony. Her statement was found consistent with her previous statements recorded before the police and the court under Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), leading to the conviction.
A native of Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, the accused was found guilty under Section 4 (2) (penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The court also awarded him two-year jail under Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Both sentences will run concurrently. Fines of ₹50,000 and ₹2,000 for the two offences were also slapped on the convict.
In its order, the court stated that the ₹50,000 fine will be paid to the victim as per the POCSO Act provisions.
According to the prosecution, the FIR in this matter was lodged under Sections 376 and 506 of the IPC, along with Section 6 of the POCSO Act at the Women police station on December 14, 2021.
The victim’s mother, a resident of Panchkula, had alleged that the accused lured her daughter and took her to a village in Panchkula where he forced himself on her. When her daughter resisted, he threatened to kill her.
Two days after the December 10 assault, the teenager confided in her mother, following which police were alerted and a probe was launched.
