Delhi HC lowers convict's jail term in rape case

New Delhi, Jul 14 (PTI) The Delhi High Court has brought down the 30-year sentence of a convict to 20 years' prison time in a rape case.
     "The trial court while sentencing the present appellant for a period of 30 years under Sections 376(2)(i) and (n) of the IPC has recorded that the offence committed by the appellant was heinous in nature and, therefore, the sentence awarded was justified. There is no doubt that the offence committed by the present appellant is extremely grave," Justice Amit Sharma said on July 11.
     The jail term was modified after it came on record that the convict was working as a "safai sahayak" in jail and his overall conduct was satisfactory. The court further observed that he had been in custody since his arrest on April 6, 2015.
     The verdict upheld his punishment under Sections 3 and 4 (penetrative sexual assault) of the POCSO Act aside from Sections 376(2)(i) (committing rape on a woman when she is under 16 years of age) and (n) (committing rape repeatedly on the same woman), 450 (house-trespass), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.
     The court acquitted him for the offence of sexual harassment.
     The man had appealed against the trial court's 2013 verdict after he was held guilty for the crime against a 12-year-old girl. The minor and her mother on April 4, 2015 went to the police and alleged the man, who was their neighbour, had repeatedly raped her.
     The girl said in December 2014 when her family members were not at home, he came over to her house, offered food and showed her obscene photos on his phone and sexually assaulted her.
     The man was further accused of slapping and threatening her not to disclose the incident to anyone.
     The matter unfolded after her mother took her to a doctor after the minor complained of stomach ache.
     She was found pregnant and doctors advised her to undergo medically termination of pregnancy following which DNA samples were preserved and sent to the forensic science laboratory for analysis.
     The man claimed "discrepancies in the girl's testimony" making it unreliable.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)