Chandigarh, October 1
Swati Sehgal, Special Judge, Fast Track Court, Chandigarh, has sentenced a 22-year-old youth to undergo 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) after convicting him under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act for raping a minor girl. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on the convict.
The court said the fine imposed on the convict would be paid to the 13-year-old victim to meet her medical expenses and rehabilitation. The court also recommended a compensation of Rs 6 lakh to the victim by the District Legal Services Authority, Chandigarh, under the Victim Compensation Scheme.
The police had registered the case on the complaint of the minor girl. She alleged that the accused raped her when she was alone at her house in May 2020. She alleged that he gagged her when she protested. The accused also threatened her not to tell anyone about the incident. The girl became pregnant. When she was admitted to a government hospital after pain, doctors informed the police about the incident. Upon checking, the girl was found 33-week pregnant.
The police arrested the accused after registering the case for commission of offences punishable under Sections 376 (3) and 506 of the IPC and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012.
After the completion of investigation, a challan was presented against the accused in the court.
The counsel for the accused said he was falsely implicated in the case. He argued that the relationship between the victim and the accused were consensual as she never raised any hue and cry at the time of the alleged incident.
The public prosecutor said the prosecution proved the case beyond the shadow of doubt. He said the DNA reports of the newborn supported the version of the prosecution, which proved that the accused was the biological father of newborn.
After hearing the arguments, the court sentenced the accused to undergo 20 years of rigorous imprisonment rejecting the plea for leniency.
