GHAZIABAD: A man working as a caretaker with a playschool was on Monday awarded life imprisonment for raping a four-and-a-half-year-old girl inside the school premises in Vaishali in 2015. A fine of Rs 1 lakh was also imposed on him, half of which will be given to the survivor’s family.
Special judge (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) Mahendra Srivastava found the accused, Sonu Kanojia, guilty under Sections 5 F and M (management or staff of an educational institution committing penetrative sexual assault on a child below 12 years) and 6 (Punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Pocso Act.
Utkarsh Vats, special public prosecutor (Pocso Act) said, “An FIR against Sonu was registered on January 31, 2015 by the survivor’s grandfather with the Indirapuram police station. In his FIR, the complainant accused Sonu, who is in his 20s, of violating his granddaughter two days ago. The girl had told her mother that Sonu had taken her to the school’s roof. She had also complained on pain following which she was taken for a check-up. The doctor had confirmed injuries to the private parts.”
Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered against Sonu under IPC section 376 (rape) and under sections 3 and 4 of the POCSO Act, Vats added. During the hearing, sections were converted to 5 F and M and 6 of the POCSO Act. Vats said altogether six witnesses were examined.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)