Special POCSO judge D S Deshmukh found the 42-year-old accused guilty of charges under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act
Representational Pic/File
A special court in Maharashtra's Thane district on Monday sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping his 13-year-old daughter, reported the PTI.
Special POCSO judge D S Deshmukh found the 42-year-old accused guilty of charges under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The court imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the accused, and ordered that the amount be given to the victim as compensation, and referred the case to the DLSA for payment of additional compensation.
Special public prosecutor Sandhya H Mhatre told the court that the accused lived in Kalwa area of Thane district with his two daughters from his first wife and the second wife and her son, according to the PTI.
On November 8, 2020, the accused raped his daughter and warned her not to disclose anything to anyone. The victim narrated her ordeal to her elder sister and her grandmother, following which a complaint was lodged.
Six prosecution witnesses, including the victim, were examined during the trial. Some family members of the victim stopped her from deposing in court, but the girl went ahead and deposed, as per the PTI.
Minor girl raped, forced to undergo abortion; accused man, doctor held
Meanwhile, in an another incident, the police arrested a man for allegedly raping of a 17-year-old girl and forcing her to undergo abortion on the basis of fake documents in Maharashtra's Thane district, officials said on Sunday, as per the PTI.
The dead foetus, which was buried at a crematorium in Ulhasnagar, has been exhumed for further probe into the case, they said, adding that a doctor who provided medicines for the termination of the minor's pregnancy has also been arrested.
The victim and the 29-year-old accused man were neighbours at a locality in Ulhasnagar township.
In July last year, the accused lured the victim to his home under the pretext of having dinner, while his wife, children and parents had gone to their native village, Ulhasnagar central police station's senior inspector Shankar Avtade said, according to the PTI.
The man allegedly raped the minor on multiple occasions and threatened to kill her if she informed about it to anyone, the official said.
The victim later found she was pregnant, and when she informed the accused about it, he provided her with abortion pills given by a private practitioner, he said.
When the attempt failed, the accused's wife, mother and mother-in-law allegedly conspired to force the victim, who was seven months pregnant, for an abortion last month, the official said.
When the the victim's parents were away, she was taken to a hospital. The accused provided false identification and age details of the victim, and doctors advised an abortion.
The abortion was subsequently conducted at a civic hospital in Kalyan, the official said.
The accused's wife and mother then hastily buried the foetus at a crematorium in Ulhasnagar, he said.
The offences came to light on February 23 when the victim informed her mother after the latter returned from her village.
Following this, the victim's family lodged a complaint at Ulhasnagar Central Police Station.
The police arrested the accused man on February 25. On Saturday night, they also arrested the private medical practitioner who allegedly provided the abortion pills initially, the official said.
The four other accused, all women, were yet to be apprehended, he said.
The accused have been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections on charges of rape, forced abortion, concealing evidence, and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the official said, the news agency reported.
(with PTI inputs)
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