73-year-old Ambala man jailed for raping 11-year-old girl

The 73-year-old man had raped the girl when she had gone to buy groceries from his store in Ambala in July 2018

An Ambala court has sentenced a 73-year-old man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for raping an 11-year-old girl in 2018.

The Ambala court held Harbans Lal guilty under Sections 6 and 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, and Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Pronouncing the judgment on Tuesday, the fast-track court of additional sessions judge Aarti Singh held Harbans Lal guilty under Sections 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) and 10 (aggravated sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). A fine of ₹40,000 was also imposed on the convict.

The minor girl, a student of Class 7, had complained to the police about the sexual assault on July 25, 2018. In her complaint, the child had said that she had gone to buy groceries from a store run by the elderly man, who kissed her and touched her private parts, before raping her.

“He also threatened me of dire consequences if this was disclosed to my parents. I wrote a note and gave it to my mother. Later, I told her everything,” she had told the police.