50-yr-old man gets life in jail for raping girl, 7, in Hathras

AGRA: The special Pocso court in UP's Hathras district sentenced a 50-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping a seven-year-old girl in 2019.
Special judge Chitra Sharma also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the convict Sanjay Kumar, which the court ordered, to be paid to the victim for rehabilitation.
As per the case registered by the victim's father on March 13, 2019, the incident occurred when the child was on her way to relieve herself outdoors. Sanjay Kumar, a neighbor known to the family, then lured the child to a secluded location where he allegedly sexually assaulted her. After the girl cried out for help, the accused fled the scene. Later, the child somehow managed to find her way back home. She was then rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, the victim's father said.
Additional district government counsel Keshavdev Mahor who appeared for the prosecution said, "Initially, the FIR was registered under IPC section 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and section 7/8 of the Pocso Act. Later, on the basis of the statement made by the victim before a magistrate under CrPC section 164, the charges in the FIR were amended to IPC section 376 (rape) and section 3/4 of the Pocso Act."
He added, "The medical report confirmed that the child was raped. Sanjay Kumar was arrested after the incident. Since then, he has been lodged in jail."
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)