PANAJI
The Fast Track Court (POCSO), Panaji, has sentenced a rape convict to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a juvenile intellectually impaired girl in October 2019.
The identities of the accused and victim have been withheld owing to the sensitivity of the case.
As per the case details, the accused, a married man and a father of two, sexually assaulted the 17-year-old in a hut.
Presiding Officer (FTC-POCSO) Durga Madkaikar denied leniency, citing the grave nature of the offence punishable under the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act.
“The offences under which the accused is convicted are serious and grave in nature. As such, I am of the considered opinion that no leniency is required to be shown to the accused as, at the time of the commission of the offence, the accused was mature enough to know the consequences and a family man,” reads the order.
Besides the jail term, he has also been directed to pay a fine of Rs 1.50 lakh. The accused, convicted on 26 November 2024, was in custody from 10 October 2019 to 9 October 2020 (11 months and 30 days) and again from 3 January 2025 to 27 January 2025 (24 days).
The Court ordered that this period of one year and 23 days would be set off under Section 428 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The court directed that if the fine amount is paid, it should be handed over to the victim after the appeal period concludes.
