E-Paper
Chandigarh man gets 20 years in jail for raping minor
The court of additional district and sessions judge Poonam R Joshi also imposed a fine of Rs 2.05 lakh, of which 2 lakh is to be given to the 11-year-old victim as compensation.
The district court on Friday sentenced a 42-year-old man to 20 years in prison for raping a minor girl.
The court of additional district and sessions judge Poonam R Joshi also imposed a fine of Rs 2.05 lakh, of which 2 lakh is to be given to the 11-year-old victim as compensation.
He was convicted under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
‘Incidents of abuse on the rise’
The court observed that incidents of abuse against minors were on the rise. “In the present case, a man of nearly 40 years raped a girl who was like a daughter to him,” and added that the accused had done an act which “cannot be expected from any prudent man…his animal extinct is evident in the present case.”
The judgment also stated such persons should not be allowed to roam freely in society and awarded strict punishment.
The case
On May 27, 2017, the convict was booked under Sections 376 (rape), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC and Sections 4, 6 and 8 of the POCSO Act on the complaint of Maloya councillor Rajesh Kalia.
In his complaint, Kalia had said he was approached by a woman who informed that a man had brought a girl to her residence with “wrong intentions”.
The police learnt that the victim was adopted by convict’s younger brother, a Kharar resident, and was living with a cousin in Sector 38. On reaching the place, the door was bolted from inside. On knocking, the convict opened the door while the victim was seen crying inside.
As per the victim, the convict had been raping her for the past one year. The victim’s statement was recorded and her medical was conducted. After confirmation of rape, a case was registered and the convict was arrested.