Sexual assault on 3-yr-old in Kharar: Cousin sent to reformation home for 3 years

Childline had received a call from the victim’s mother about the sexual assault on the girl in May 2019

A 14-year-old boy hailing from Nepal will spend three years in a reformation home for sexually exploiting his three-year-old cousin.

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“The juvenile has been convicted for committing sodomy with a minor victim... which is against the order of nature. So, considering the nature and gravity of offence, I do not find any justification to grant the concession of probation,” ruled Ruchi Swapan Sharma, principal magistrate, Juvenile Justice Board, Mohali, while awarding the sentence.

The matter dates back to May 2019 when the police had swung into action after the Childline had received a call from the victim’s mother about the sexual assault on the girl.

The juvenile, whose father and victim’s father were brothers and lived together in Kharar working as labourers, was a student of Class 8.

The victim’s mother, a domestic help, had returned home around 5.45pm from work on May 3, 2019, and found the girl crying, complaining of stomach ache. The victim was home with her brothers and the cousin when the incident took place.

The girl confided in her mother and, after her father returned from work around 7pm, was rushed to the Government Multi Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, Chandigarh.

The juvenile was apprehended on May 5 and a case under Sections 376, 376A, 376C, 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 6 of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was registered at the Kharar (city) police station. He had confessed during the trial.

COMPENSATION FOR VICTIM

The court has also directed the secretary of District Legal Services Authority, Mohali, to pursue the matter of compensation to be provided to the victim under the Punjab Victim or their Dependents Compensation Scheme, 2011. The scheme provides for minimum ₹3 lakh compensation for rape victims.