Pune: Decades of waiting for justice! Rapist sentenced to ten years of hard labor after nine-year legal battle

Pune: In the rape case of a particularly handicapped child, a 59-year-old murderer was convicted after nearly nine years, sentenced to 10 years of hard labor prison and a fine of Rs 10,000. District Judge, DP Ragit convicted the 59-year-old murderer after the statement of the victim girl.

The accused, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison, was identified as Pratap Babanrao Bhosure, a resident of Dhanore village, Shirur taluka, Pune district. In this regard, the mother of the victim girl lodged a complaint at Shikrapur police station in 2015.

On May 18, 2015, the victim girl had brought goats to the forest to graze. At that time, accused Bhosure lured the victim and took her to a secluded place in the forest where she was forcefully raped by the accused. The girl then became pregnant. The victim’s mother immediately lodged a police complaint at Shikrapur police station.

As part of the police investigation, the police arrested the accused and since then the accused has been lodged in Yerawada Jail for eight years and eleven months.

Advocate Leena Pathak appeared in court on behalf of the government. In this case, the court recorded the statements of nine witnesses. Furthermore, the statement of the victim girl was also recorded on camera in court. After considering the witness statement and medical evidence, the court sentenced the accused to ten years of hard labor and a fine of Rs 10,000. In the event that the fine is not paid, the judgment also provides for a penalty of one year.

The then assistant police inspector of Shikrapur police station, Hemchandra Khopde, investigated the matter. Meanwhile, police officers Vidyadhar Nichit, SB Bhagwat and Gyandev Sonwane assisted in the court proceedings.