
Photo for representation. File photo
Ambala, March 17
The court of Additional Sessions Judge Aarti Singh sentenced a man to rigorous imprisonment (RI) for 10 years for committing sexual assault on a minor girl and impregnating her.
The fast-track court constituted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act held Nirmal of Ambala guilty under Section 6 of the POCSO Act and 323 of the IPC.
As per the information, a man in 2019 had accused Nirmal of raping his minor daughter.
The accused sought leniency while claiming that his parents were in old age and suffering from various ailments, adding that there was no one else to look after them. He stated that they were totally dependent upon him and that he had no criminal past.
The defence counsel submitted that lenient view be taken in the matter of sentence.
On the other hand, Public Prosecutor Surjit Singh submitted that the convict committed repeated penetrative sexual assault on 17-year-old prosecutrix and impregnated her. The heinous act did not deserve any leniency. She faced traumatic experience at a tender age and such acts left a permanent scar in the mind of children.
After hearing of the arguments, the court sentenced Nirmal to 10-year RI. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on him under Section 6 of the POCSO Act and one-year RI under Section 323 of the IPC.