Umamageswari Maruthappan
The Thane District Court convicted a 62-year old man for repeatedly raping his minor niece and sentenced him to ten years of rigorous imprisonment.
The sentence was passed by the District, judge S P Gondhalekar (Special POSCO Act Judge) on 20th January 2021 under sections 4 and 6 the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act, 2012 and under sections 323, 376 and 506 the Indian Penal Code, 45 of 1860.
In addition, the court also imposed “a fine of Rs. 22,000 on the accused”, said Ujjwala Moholkar, the Additional Public Prosecutor.
During the hearing, the Court was informed that the accused, a resident of Rabodi (Thane) who was an auto rickshaw driver, used to frequently visit the house where the victim resided.
The prosecution further stated that the accused met her while she was going to her tuition classes. He took her to a hotel in Mumbra and raped her.
Later on, it is said that the accused has raped her at least four times between April and May 2014. The victim was a minor and was then studying in Class 9 in Rabodi.
It was also submitted before the Special Judge that the victim was tortured and threatened by the accused.
On a serious note, the Thane Court found the accused guilty and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous punishment.