Agra: Man gets life term for raping minor Dalit girl; HIV+ co-accused sentenced to 20 years in jail

AGRA: A special Pocso court in Agra has sentenced a man to life in prison for raping a 14-year-old Dalit girl in 2022, while a co-accused, who is suffering from HIV/AIDS which confirmed during medical tests in jail, was sentenced to 20 years. Police said the survivor “also got infected” by him.Special prosecution officer (SPO), Madhav Sharma, told TOI on Sunday: “Both the men, Ram Sharma and the co-accused, were sentenced 20 years under Pocso Act, and Sharma was given a life term under the SC/ST Act. The court imposed a fine of Rs 1,65,000 and Rs 1,15,000 on Sharma and the co-accused, respectively, and stated the entire amount must be paid to the survivor.”

“It further ordered that a copy of the decision be sent to district legal services authority to pursue with the state govt for a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the girl,” said Sharma.

While delivering the verdict, the court of additional district and sessions judge, Parvez Akhtar, observed that the kind of crime committed by the convicts against the minor “not only reveals their foul mindset but also highlights lack of humanity in them”.

“Such kind of crimes is not just a constraint to an individual, but creates a fear in the entire society over the safety of children,” the verdict stated.

As per the complaint filed at Shahganj police station on July 31, 2022, the girl’s father claimed the 14-year-old had left home after a quarrel and went towards Sikandra. Here, she encountered two strangers who sexually assaulted her on July 2 after taking her to a nearby forest.

They also threatened her not to inform anyone about the crime and one of them gave her a phone number to “stay in touch”. Her family came to know after her health began to deteriorate and she tested positive for HIV/AIDS.

The minor then provided a detailed account of her ordeal before the magistrate and police managed to trace the accused men with the help of one of their phone numbers. A chargesheet — enclosing technical and medical evidence — was thereafter filed before the court on Dec 2, 2022.

The SPO said, “During the trial, 10 witnesses testified. The girl’s testimony along with statements of the investigation officer and doctors played a crucial role in nailing the culprits. On the basis of the evidence available on record, the court convicted the two men — both in their late 20s.”

Courtesy : TOI

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