Nineteen years after rape, accused man sent to juvenile home

Gautam Budh Nagar juvenile justice board on Tuesday sent a man to three years in jail for raping a 17-year-old in 2002 when he too was a minor

Gautam Budh Nagar juvenile justice board on Tuesday sent a man to three years in jail for raping a 17-year-old in 2002 when he too was a minor. The delay in punishment was attributed to the time it took the adjudicated the age of the accused and then the transfer of files from one board to other.

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During this time, the suspect was let off on bail three months after his detention, get married to another woman and had children. He will, however, be sent to a special home for juvenile convicts now.

The Dadri police had detained the minor in July, 2002, a month after the girl’s family discovered her pregnancy and reported it to the authorities. The girl had named the suspect and said he had raped her while she was alone at home.

In August that year, the Gautam Budh Nagar (GB Nagar) chief judicial magistrate transferred the case to the district sessions court. Here, a challenge was mounted over the age of the accused. It took five years for the court to decide that the accused was indeed a minor and had it transferred to the juvenile justice board (JJB) in Meerut. When a JJB was constituted in Gautam Budh Nagar in 2012, an issue of jurisdiction arose, and the case was transferred to it in there. However, the proceedings took time and the verdict was declared Tuesday.

“JJB principal magistrate Viresh Chandra and member Aneet Baghel today held the accused guilty. He has been sent to the Special Home for Juvenile Convicts at Etawah,” said prosecution officer Amit Uppal. “Since he had already been in confinement for 3 months, the rest will be served at the special home.”

Uppal confirmed the accused person’s marital status and that he had children, but could not confirm anything about the rape survivor.

Regarding the delay, Uppal said, “There are several cases that have been delayed for years. Sometimes witnesses are not available, at other times the court does not function, police officers may not be able to be present over some reason and on some dates the judge may be on leave. In rape cases, particularly, tracing victims and witnesses is very difficult.”