Greater Noida: 20-year jail for man who raped girl he was asked to look after

NOIDA: A Pocso court on Monday sentenced a youngster to 20 years in jail for raping a 10-year-old girl, who lived in the neighbourhood, after her parents - both daily wage earners - had entrusted him to take care of her as they went out to work.
Special public prosecutor Neetu Bishnoi, representing the minor's family, said the incident took place in Greater Noida in May 2021.

The girl's mother filed a complaint on May 31 that year, alleging that she and her husband were leaving home for work when they had asked Ashu (20), their neighbour, to look after their daughter.
After the mother returned home around 6.30pm, the girl said that Ashu, who belongs to Bulandshahr, had raped her in the afternoon.
"He (Ashu) said that he will perform my marriage. He took me inside my room, locked the door and raped me. He also threatened me with dire consequences if I disclosed the matter to anyone," the minor had told police.
The same day, the girl had confided in another neighbour, who eventually corroborated the incident before the court. "She was traumatised. I informed her mother later," the neighbour had said.
During the hearing, Ashu's lawyer Balram Singh had denied the rape charge and argued that no injury marks were diagnosed in the minor's subsequent medical examination.
No injury marks were diagnosed, but the medical examination found traces of the accused's sperm on the minor's clothes. The Pocso court in Gautam Budh Nagar rejected this argument, saying that the presence of sperm on the minor's clothes showed rape was committed.
Special judge (Pocso) Chandra Mohan Srivastava also referred to a Supreme Court verdict (State of UP Vs Chottey Lal, AIR 2011 SC 697) that gave primacy to the statement of a rape survivor over corroboration of that evidence. "Where no external or internal marks of injury on the private part of the victim of rape was found in medical examination, the testimony of the prosecutrix that she was rape by the accused cannot be discarded..." the apex court had ruled.
Convicting Ashu, the Pocso court said on Monday: "The prosecution has succeeded in proving the charges against the accused and he is liable for conviction."
Ashu was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 50,000 under section 376-AB (person committing an offence of rape on a woman under twelve years of age) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) apart from provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.
The convict, who broke down as the verdict was announced, was sent to judicial custody in Luksar Jail later on Monday.