The court convicted the accused for offences under sections 376-AB (rape on a woman below 12 years of age), along with sections 366 (kidnapping a woman to cause her defilement) and 363 (kidnapping) of the IPC, and sections 5 and 6 of the POCSO Act.Apart from imposing a cash fine of Rs20,000, the court recommended Rs5 lakh compensation for the minor through the District Legal Services Authority.The prosecution’s case was that on the day of the incident, the accused enticed the survivor with sweets, took her to a hut, and sexually assaulted her. After returning home, the girl complained to her mother, and an FIR was registered against the accused on Aug 31, 2020. A chargesheet was filed against him on Oct 22, 2020.Special public prosecutor Milind Datrange examined total nine witnesses in support of the prosecution’s case besides focusing his submissions on the forensic and circumstantial evidence.The court observed that the sister of the accused told the police that he brought the survivor to her house before the assault. The court found that the day after the assault, the accused went to his sister’s house, who handed him over to the police after having doubts. “Having gone through the statement under Section 164 of CrPC of this witness (sister of the accused), it is seen that her evidence is supported by this statement on the material points.”
