LUDHIANA: A local court sentenced a man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment after finding him guilty of a minor's rape. A fine of Rs 75,000 was also imposed on the convict. In case of default in fine payment, the 23-year-old will have to spend another one and a half years in jail.
As per the prosecution, the girl's father had told the police on March 15, 2015, that his daughter went missing from home on March 10, 2015, and that he suspected an acquaintance,
Rajesh Mandal. On his complaint, the police raided a house in
Sudhar and recovered the 14-year-old girl.
Mandal, a native of Bihar, was arrested and the girl's medical examination conducted.
The police booked Mandal under sections 363 (kidnapping) and 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage, etc), 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. During the case trial, the girl deposed that on March 10, 2015, Mandal took her along on the pretext of marriage. When she learned that he was already married, she asked him to take her back to her parents' house. But he forcibly kept her at his residence and raped her, the Class VI student added. Even as Mandal pleaded innocence, additional public prosecutor for state S S Haidar sought severe punishment for him on the basis of statements of the victim, the complainant, other prosecution witnesses and medical examination reports.
