PANAJI
In a major decision, the POCSO Court has sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a minor girl and impregnating her in 2019.
Presiding Officer for Fast Track Court (POCSO), Durga Madkaikar sentenced the man to 20 years of RI and slapped a penalty of Rs 25,000.
The police charge sheet reveals that the accused raped the victim on multiple occasions in Goa and outside, by forcibly showing her objectionable content on his mobile phone. The accused is also charged with kidnapping and impregnating her.
During the hearing, the prosecution submitted that there is enough material on record to establish that the accused kidnapped the victim who was 17 years old, and committed rape on her, despite being married and having a family.
The Court observed that the genuineness of the medical reports on sexual offences of the victim, certificate of pregnancy of the victim and other documents produced under section 294 of CrPC were not disputed by the advocate for the accused.
As per the medical reports, the victim girl was 5 weeks pregnant although the DNA report is inconclusive. The man was 32 years old at the time of the crime. The Court further noted that "as per records, the accused was mature enough to know the consequences whereas the victim was 15 years younger than the accused and was a child of 17 years".
“The offences committed by the accused are against the minor girl child who is a vulnerable section of the society and are very serious and heinous in nature and against the society at large. As such, in my considered opinion and as submitted by the special public prosecutor, no leniency has to be shown to the accused has merits,” the Court ordered while sentencing the convict to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. The Court further set off 15 months of imprisonment undergone by the convict after his arrest for the crime.
