Delhi woman sentenced to 10 years for ‘penetrative sexual assault’ on 4-year-old girl

The court sentenced the convict to rigorous imprisonment for 10 years and imposed a fine of ₹16,000.

A Delhi court has sentenced a woman to 10 years rigorous imprisonment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault on a four-year-old girl, a crime she committed in 2016.

The woman was convicted of "committing penetrative sexual assault with the minor victim by applying her mouth on the vaginal area of the victim (HT_PRINT)

According to news agency PTI, the case was heard against a woman Shahsi, who was convicted of offences under Section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty).

While convicting the woman of "committing penetrative sexual assault with the minor victim by applying her mouth on the vaginal area of the victim," Additional Sessions Judge Kumar Rajat observed that the heinous crime caused "immense mental trauma to the victim and her parents."

The court sentenced the convict to rigorous imprisonment for 10 years and imposed a fine of ₹16,000.

However, taking the note of nature of the offence and mitigating circumstances of the convict including her poor socio-economic background and being the sole bread-earner in the family, the court said the convict would only be sentenced under Section 6 of the POCSO Act as it was "higher in degree."

"The object and basic purpose of sentencing is that the offender should not go unpunished and justice be done to victim of crime and the society," the court stated.

According to the conviction order, the woman from Rajasthan was 19-year-old when she developed a relation with a 15-year-old boy.

The special court found the woman guilty under Section 5L/6 (sexual harassment) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and sentenced her to ten years of rigorous imprisonment. The woman was also found guilty under Section 363 (abduction) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and was sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment.

(With inputs from PTI)