20-year RI for convict in POCSO case, co-accused acquitted

A local court has sentenced a person to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) in a case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which dates back five years. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the convict. His co-accused has been acquitted due to lack of evidence to prove the charges.

On the complaint of the victim, the police registered the case against the accused on December 1, 2019, for offences punishable under Section 376 of the IPC and Sections 4 and 6 of the POCSO Act. The complainant alleged that one of the accused raped her while she was alone at her house in Palsora, Chandigarh. He threatened her not to disclose the incident to anyone. A few days later, the other accused sexually assaulted her when she was alone at her house, threatening to kill her if she disclosed the incident to anyone.

After investigation, the police filed a chargesheet against the accused. The court framed charges against the accused, to which they pleaded not guilty. Harish Bhardwaj, counsel for the acquitted accused, argued that his client had been falsely implicated in the case. After hearing arguments from both the prosecution and the defence counsel, the court convicted one of the accused and pronounced the sentence.