30 May,2025 09:21 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
The crime occurred in 2018, when the survivor was 14 years old. Representational pic
A court in Delhi has sentenced a man for 20 years for repeatedly raping his daughter and having unnatural sex with her. Talking about the case, the court said that the survivor suffered endless torture for several years, yet she feared the society would blame her if he was sentenced.
Expressing disappointment, Additional Sessions Judge Anu Aggarwal said that the survivor, who was then 14 years old, was subjected to the most horrible crimes within her safe space by her father, on whom she had the utmost trust, reported PTI.
The court convicted the man under POCSO on May 19 for committing penetrative sextual assault as well as under the Indian Penal Code for rape, unnatural offences and criminal intimidation. The full order was made available on Wednesday.
Additional Public Prosecutor Arun KV, arguing the quantum of the sentence, said that the convict deserves no leniency for the crime as he raped his daughter for over 20 days.
Talking about the crime, the court said, "For a child, home is a space that gives him a sense of security, love and affection; a place where the child is nurtured, and is the most relaxing place for a child. The relationship between father and daughter is such that under the father's shadow, the daughter feels safe and secure. After hearing the victim, it seems that this ordeal is never-ending for her. She was subjected to the most heinous offence and was not only raped but was also subjected to unnatural sexual assault. However, even after seven years, the victim is still afraid that if her father is sentenced to jail, she will be blamed by everyone in society."
The court then sentenced the accused to 20 years of imprisonment under Section 6 of the POCSO Act and also offered a compensation of Rs 16 lakh to the survivor.
The case came into light on June 20, 2018, when the survivor revealed the crime to her neighbours, who then reported about it to the police.
Investigating the case, the police visited the survivor's house, where she narrated her ordeal. The survivor, who was then aged 14, was studying in a Lucknow madrasa. In June 2018, during her summer vacation, her father took her to Delhi, where initially they stayed at her paternal aunt's residence. But, later he rented a separate room, where the crime eventually occurred.
(With inputs from PTI)
