20 YEARS RI TO A RAPIST

20 YEARS RI TO A RAPIST

7-AUG-ENG 1

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

BHABHUA-------------------------Kaimur district's Special Judge (PASCO) cum ADJ-6 Pramod Kumar Pandey's court on Thursday gave an important verdict in the case of rape of a 15-year-old student and sentenced the accused to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. The court has also imposed a fine of ₹50,000 on the accused. In case of non-deposit of fine amount, the convict will have to face additional imprisonment of six months.

This decision was given under speedy trial in Durgavati police station case number-122/2024 and Pasco case number-82/2024. The court convicted Deepak Kushwaha, son of Rambachan Kushwaha, resident of Savath village of Durgavati police station area, under section 376 (3) of the Indian Penal Code and section 4 (2) of the POCSO Act.

Kaimur District POCSO Act Special Public Prosecutor Shashi Bhushan Pandey said that on May 3, 2024, at around 8 am, the 15-year-old victim was going to her school. It is alleged that at the same time the accused chased her on a motorcycle and reached a deserted place and forcibly raped her.

After the incident, an FIR was registered in Durgavati police station on the complaint of the victim. The police started investigating the case and filed a chargesheet in the court after the allegations were confirmed during the investigation.

During the hearing of the case, the prosecution presented testimony of a total of eight witnesses. Apart from this, documentary evidence and other important evidence were also presented before the court. The court declared the accused guilty after thoroughly examining the statements of all the witnesses, documents and all the circumstances of the case.

After conviction, the court sentenced the accused to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of ₹ 50,000 under Section 376(3) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 4(2) of the POCSO Act.

Special Public Prosecutor Shashi Bhushan Pandey said that in this case, prompt coordination and effective advocacy was done by the District Prosecution Branch. Due to this, the hearing of the case could be completed quickly through speedy trial and the victim and her family got justice in a short time.

He said that in such cases, prompt trial and harsh punishment to the culprits sends a message to the society that the law takes strict action against those who commit crimes against women and children. Besides, this also strengthens the victims' faith in the justice system.

This decision is considered important towards speedy justice and effective prosecution in cases related to child protection.