Panchkula: 5 yrs after Punjab woman’s rape in Morni, Unnao man gets 15-yr jail

The convict, identified as Sandeep alias Chotu, 25, has also been told to pay a fine of ₹47,000, to be paid to the victim.

Five years after a woman from Punjab was kidnapped, raped and attacked with stones in Morni, a special POCSO court in Panchkula sentenced a 25-year-old man from Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment.

the prosecution relied on the DNA report, which matched the convict, along with the detailed testimony of the victim. (HT File)

The convict, identified as Sandeep alias Chotu, has also been told to pay a fine of ₹47,000, to be paid to the victim.

While he will serve 15 years under Section 376(2)(n) (rape committed repeatedly on the same woman) of the Indian Penal Code, he has also been awarded 10 years under Section 307 (attempt to murder), five years under Section 366 (kidnapping), three years under Section 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), two years under Section 344 (wrongful confinement), and a year each under Section 506 (criminal intimidation) and Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt). All sentences will run concurrently.

As per the court order, the convict will have to undergo simple imprisonment of six months for failure to pay ₹25,000 imposed under Section 376(2)(n); a month for ₹5,000 under Section 366, two weeks for defaulting on ₹2,000 under Section 344, and so on. As per the court order, the convict has not paid the fine.

POCSO Act set aside as victim’s age could not be proved

While the case was initially registered under Section 6 of the Protection of Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the court convicted the man under IPC sections in the absence of documentary proof of the victim’s age.

Deputy district attorney Sukhwinder Kaur said the case dates back to July 8, 2021, when the victim was lured on the pretext of marriage and confined in a village in Mohali. She was later taken to Morni, where the convict sexually assaulted her in an isolated area, before brutally attacking her with stones.

The nature of her injuries were so grave that she was unable to speak when an auto driver found her and rushed her to a hospital.

She was later referred to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Research and Education (PGIMER), where her statement was recorded before a magistrate. Doctors treating her had also described her injuries as “dangerous to life”.

During the trial, the prosecution relied on the DNA report, which matched the convict, along with the detailed testimony of the victim. Statements of the auto driver who rescued her also played a crucial role in securing the conviction.