Kolkata: Court treats 16-yr-old as adult, awards life imprisonment for raping minor

Kolkata, August 24

A city court on Friday sentenced a 16-year-old and a man to life imprisonment for raping a 12-year-old girl, trying the boy as an adult given the heinous nature of the crime.

According to a complaint filed by the victim’s mother, the girl was kidnapped and gang-raped by the duo on the evening of December 16, 2017.

Judge Jimut Bahan Biswas of Sealdah Court here sentenced the accused to life imprisonment for the remainder of their lives for gang-rape and under provisions of the POCSO Act.

The court also slapped a fine of Rs 2 lakh on each of them. Ninety per cent of the money will be paid to the victim.

It directed the West Bengal Government to pay Rs 3 lakh to the victim as per the POCSO Act. The amount has to be paid to her within 30 days of receipt of the order.

Judge Biswas also directed the joint commissioner (crime) of Kolkata police to ensure protection of the victim in the near future.

The court observed that though one of the accused claimed to be 16 years old, he was treated as an adult for punishment in a heinous crime like rape under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015.

Special public prosecutor Vivek Sharma had sought maximum punishment for the accused persons.

He said they had lured the girl with mango juice and took her to a deserted field under Ultadanga police station in the city.

The counsel for the two accused claimed that they had been falsely implicated by the victim’s mother out of animosity. — PTI