A 25-year-old man has been awarded a 20-year jail sentence for sexually assaulting a minor, who eventually ended her life in October 2020.
The convict, Desraj, then aged 19, a native of Uttar Pradesh, has also been told to pay a fine of ₹50,000.
The victim, a 17-year-old girl from Panchkula, had ended her life due to sustained sexual and mental torture by Desraj. She had also left behind a suicide note. Following her death, a case under Section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act was registered at the Sector-14 police station. While the charges under Section 306 could not be proven, the court of additional sessions judge Bikramjit Arora found Desraj guilty under the POCSO Act. The victim’s handwriting was matched with her question booklet, proving that the suicide note was written by her.