Court in Thane sentences man to 10 years in prison for raping a minor

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A court in Thane on Wednesday sentenced a man to 10 years in prison for raping a minor girl in 2015. According to a PTI report, the court in Thane found it a heinous crime and hence sentenced the man, who raped a nine-year-old girl, to a prison term.

According to the report, Special Judge (for POCSO cases) DS Dekhmukh while delivering the verdict said, “The punishment should send a clear message to the society at large that offenders in such cases will be punished with an iron hand.”

A copy of the order passed by the Thane court on May 25 was made available on Wednesday, PTI said.

According to reports, the Thane court also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the 44-year-old accused, a resident of Kashigaon area of ​​Mira Road. The judge ordered the accused to pay the amount of the fine to the minor and transferred the case to the District Legal Services Authority to award her compensation.

The accused was found guilty under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

According to the report, Special Public Prosecutor Sandhya H. Mhatre told the court that on July 11, 2015, the minor went to the accused’s house in the neighbourhood to watch television and he raped her.

She told the court in Thane that she had walked out of the accused’s house crying when her parents were looking for her. She later told her parents about the incident, who then filed a complaint with the police.

In his verdict, the Thane court judge said that the accused had committed a heinous offence and that as per the POCSO Act, the minimum punishment for such offences is ten years and must be imposed.

“The sexual abuse of a child must be taken seriously and such offences must be dealt with severely,” the Thane court said, adding, “Considering the submissions of both sides, the conduct of the accused during the trial and his present age of 44 years and the fact that he has been in jail for nearly nine years, I have taken a lenient view and the following sentence would be in the interests of justice.”