J&K court sentences faith healer to 14-year jail for sexually abusing minors in J&K
Sopore chief judicial magistrate Mir Wajahat, after holding the charges of conviction against Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh on under Section 377 (unnatural offences) of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) which he committed against two victims, announced the quantum of sentence on Tuesday
The faith healer, who was on Monday convicted of sexually abusing children who used to visit him for religious lessons, has been collectively awarded 14-years of rigorous imprisonment for both the cases.
Sopore chief judicial magistrate Mir Wajahat, after holding the charges of conviction against Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh on under Section 377 (unnatural offences) of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) which he committed against two victims, announced the quantum of sentence on Tuesday.
“Thus , this court is legally empowered to impose a maximum sentence of seven years for each offence …Since the accused has been convicted for two separate offences against two different victims, the court is within its jurisdiction to impose separate sentences for each offence…,” the judgement said.
The court has also imposed a fine amount of ₹ 50,000 to each victim.
“The sentences shall run consecutively meaning that the accused shall serve a total of 14 years of rigorous imprisonment,” it said.
Sheikh has been accused of committing unnatural sexual exploitation of multiple children, exploiting their vulnerability under the guise of offering blessings.
The case came to light after a Class 10 student along with his father approached Bomai police station in March 2016 with allegations of sexual exploitation against the convict. The police filed a case and the first hearing took place on September 16, 2017, when Sheikh appeared before the court without a lawyer.
Counsel of one of the victims said that the Sopore CJM sentenced the accused to seven years of rigorous imprisonment each for two victims. “The CJM has also said that the victims are at liberty to approach appropriate forums for their compensation in their own capacities,” she said.
After seven years, the Sopore CJM held Sheikh guilty in the cases of two victims on Monday.
“Accordingly, the accused, Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh, is convicted under Section 377, RPC for committing unnatural offences against PW3 and PW8. The established legal principles governing sexual offences leave no room for doubt regarding the accused guilt. He subjected PW3 and PW8 to unnatural sexual intercourse during their minority, exploiting their vulnerability under the guise of offering blessings.”
“By dominating their will, manipulating their psyche and exerting control, he subjected their bodies, minds and souls to persistent acts of brutality over the years, shrouding his crimes in ostentation while inflicting upon them the unbearable shame of his misconduct,” the court said in its order.
It observed that prosecution witnesses (four, five, seven, nine and 11) have courageously recounted the harrowing accounts of their suffering.
“Their testimonies remain unwaveringly consistent. However, this judgment refrains from extensive elaboration or deliberation, solely to uphold the sanctity of the impending investigation, which must proceed after the registration of separate FIRs for PW4, PW5, PW7, PW9, PW11, or PW12, who, though not examined, may also be a victim, alongside any other individual seeking their rightful justice against the accused,” the court said.
“If this judgment serves as a catalyst for those silent voices who have long endured unspeakable trauma, struggled in the shadows of despair and now look toward the law with the last vestiges of hope, then justice has, in some measure, already begun to prevail,” it added.