Delhi HC awards lifer to man who raped minor orphan

Observing that chilhood rape is "psychological time bomb" for the victim, a bench headed by Justice A K Sikri said sexual abuse of a child cannot be let off lightly and the court should not take generous view against the rapist by awarding lesser sentence.

The Delhi High Court today sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping a minor destitute girl living in a women's shelter home.

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Observing that chilhood rape is "psychological time bomb" for the victim, a bench headed by Justice A K Sikri said sexual abuse of a child cannot be let off lightly and the court should not take generous view against the rapist by awarding lesser sentence.

The court refused to take a lenient view towards the 43-year-old accused, a father of four children, who had raped a minor girl repeatedly resulting in her getting pregnant and finally birth to a child.

"By his brutal acts, a minor girl of less than sixteen years was made a mother by the appellant. Not only the repeated acts of rape would be permanent scar on the victim, becoming mother at this age is neither physically nor psychologically feasible. It would, therefore, clearly be a case of aggravated form of sexual assault," the court said while dismissing the plea of accused Mohan.