Editor Mr.Mayank Rawat ( Chief Editor Mr. Rohit Mishra )
New Delhi: Crimes against children are “increasing day by day in society” and there must be some deterrence, a Delhi court has observed while awarding a double life sentence to a 33-year-old man for raping and trying to kill a 15-year-old girl in 2017.
“A strong message must be conveyed to society that such kinds of offences against children shall not be tolerated under any circumstances and such offenders shall be dealt with strictly by the court,” the court of additional sessions judge Ajay Nagar said in an order dated March 4. The judge also awarded Rs 10.5 lakh compensation to the survivor, now 23.
The court had in Dec convicted the accused for the offences of aggravated rape, attempted murder, kidnapping and criminal intimidation under IPC and relevant sections of Pocso Act. During the trial, the survivor alleged she was picked up by the man, then 25, when she was on her way to her friend’s home. She was injected with a sedative, after which she partially lost consciousness, she told the court, adding that the accused hit her repeatedly on her head after raping her.
The counsel for the survivor told the court that she was still facing physical and mental trauma, and had lost vision in one eye due to the attack by him. The counsel further submitted that the woman is still under medical treatment for the injuries. Additional public prosecutor Rajesh Sirohi, appearing for the prosecution, sought capital punishment for the convict.
While sentencing the man, the judge said the court must consider various factors like the extent of planning, choice of weapon, modes of crime, the abhorrent character of the crime and the state of the survivor. Other factors, such as the age and gender of the accused, his economic conditions or social background, motivation for crime, availability of defence, adequate representation in the trial, repentance, possibility of reformation and previous criminal record, should also be assessed, the court said.
The judge took note of the jail administration where the man was lodged, which revealed that his overall conduct was “unsatisfactory” and he had assaulted co-inmates and misbehaved with the head warden of the prison in Oct 2021.
Mayank Rawat
