UP man sentenced to 20 years RI for raping minor girl

AGRA: A local court in Aligarh on Tuesday sentenced a 25-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 for the rape of a 10-year-old girl in 2017. The convict was 17 years old at the time of the offence. The incident occurred on August 4, 2017, when the accused lured the girl to an under-construction house on the pretext of playing and sexually assaulted her, said Additional District Government Counsel (ADGC) Sanjay Sharma. According to the ADGC, the victim’s father filed a police complaint stating that at around 4 pm, his daughter was taken by a neighbour, a resident of the same village, to the under-construction house of the accused’s uncle, where she was raped. Hearing the girl’s cries, the father and his wife rushed in and saw the accused throwing their daughter to the ground and forcibly raping her. On seeing them, the accused fled. The parents tried to catch him, but he managed to escape. Following the complaint, police registered a case under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The accused was arrested and sent to jail. Weeks later, police filed a chargesheet in court, and months later, the accused was released on bail, the ADGC said. After hearing both sides and examining the evidence and witnesses, Additional District and Sessions Judge (POCSO Court) Pradip Kumar Ram found the accused guilty. On Tuesday, the court sentenced him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹50,000. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional six months in jail. The court also ordered that the fine be given to the victim. After the judgement was pronounced, the convicted man was taken into police custody and sent to jail, ADGC Sharma said.