E-Paper
Chandigarh: 60-year-old jailed for 12 years for raping mentally disabled girl
The case was registered on the complaint of the girl’s father, who said he had seven children; the victim was one of his six daughters, who cannot speak, was hearing impaired and had severe intellectual disability
Completing trial in eight months, a special fast-track POCSO court has awarded 12-year rigorous imprisonment to a 60-year-old man for raping a mentally disabled, hearing and speech impaired girl in March this year.
“The convict, instead of empathising with the victim, used her as a mode to satisfy his lust. Convict has committed heinous offence not only against the individual and her family, but also against the civilised society. Such abhorrent act on behalf of the convict does not augur well with our ethos,” observed the court of Swati Sehgal, judge, fast-track special court.
Bablu Mandal was convicted under Section 376 (2) (l) of the Indian Penal Code and also fined ₹20,000.
The case was registered on the complaint of the girl’s father, who said he had seven children. The victim was one of his six daughters, who cannot speak, was hearing impaired and had severe intellectual disability.
The complainant said he, along with his wife, had gone out to drop one of their daughters and son-in-law to a nearby place on foot. When they returned around 9 pm, he saw the accused raping his disabled daughter. He managed to nab the accused, who lives in their locality and was in an inebriated condition.
Police were called and a case was registered at the IT Park police station in March.
Since there was no age proof, the victim was referred for ossification test, as per which her age is 16-18 years. According to the CFSL report, possibility of sexual intercourse cannot be ruled out.
After conviction, Mandal pleaded for a lenient view, stating that he was a poor person, who had been falsely implicated. He had four children and a wife to look after, he pleaded.
But the court observed, “Considering the plea of the convict, mental status of victim and necessity of harmonious construction between deterrence against crime viz-a-viz approach of punishment, hand of justice need not be tempered with mercy in such cases.”
