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Pune court sentences man, 56, to 20 years RI for raping two minor nieces
Between January and November 2020, the convict exploited his position to lure the girls away from their home on the pretext of buying clothes and other articles for them
A special POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) court in Pune on April 11 sentenced a 56-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for repeatedly sexually assaulting his two minor nieces. Special judge D P Ragit, presiding over the case, observed that the accused (mis)used his position as a trusted relative to commit ‘heinous’ crimes against the girls, aged 12 and 13 years at the time.
The convict is the husband of the victims’ mother’s stepsister; a man the girls grew up addressing as ‘uncle’. The court found that between January and November 2020, the convict exploited his position to lure the girls away from their home in Uruli Devachi on the pretext of buying clothes and other articles for them.
The prosecution established that the convict sexually assaulted the girls at his residence and local lodges. The trauma remained hidden for months because the accused allegedly held the girls under a ‘reign of terror’. As per the judgment, “the accused forcibly and repeatedly established physical relations with the victims and threatened to kill their parents if they spilled the beans to anyone”.
The matter finally came to the fore in November 2020 when the victims’ mother noticed a change in their behaviour to the extent that they were “avoiding speaking with the informant (victims’ mother) and looking sad”. Ultimately when their maternal aunt took them into confidence, the girls shared their ordeal.
A primary contention raised by the defence was that the alleged crimes could not have occurred at the lodges due to the strict Covid-induced lockdowns in 2020. However, the court systematically pulled apart this argument. The investigating officers produced lodge registers showing entries in the convict’s name on dates such as July 14 and September 10, 2020.
The court remarked, “As the accused had taken rooms on (those dates) in the respective lodges by taking the girls with him there, it means that there was no complete lockdown in Pune city and consequently, it could be said that the respective lodges were open.” Although the registers listed the name of a 22-year-old woman named ‘Swapna’, the court determined that this was a fake entry used only to gain access when accompanied by the minor girls.
During the hearing, the defence pleaded for leniency, citing the convict’s age, the lack of prior criminal history, and the fact that his wife and four children were dependent on him. The prosecution, however, demanded the harshest possible punishment, arguing that “the offences against the minor victims are serious in nature”.
Judge Ragit concurred with the prosecution’s assessment of the gravity of the crime. The court convicted Jedhe under several sections, including Indian Penal Code (IPC) 376(2)(f) and (n) for rape by a relative and repeated rape; and sections 4 and 6 of the POCSO Act for aggravated penetrative sexual assault.
The judge stated that the evidence was “sufficient to prove the offences of penetrative sexual assault/ rape by the accused on the minor victim girls aged 13 and 12 years; and criminal intimidation by threatening to kill the girls’ parents.”
Beyond the 20-year sentence and a ₹30,000 fine, the court took steps toward the rehabilitation of the victims. “It is recommended to the district legal services authority, Pune, to decide the quantum of compensation to be awarded to the victim girls under the victim compensation scheme,” the judge ordered.
