Man to spend entire life in jail for raping stepdaughter

Chandigarh, April 16

Swati Sehgal, Judge, Fast Track Special Court, has sentenced a person to undergo rigorous imprisonment (RI) for life (till remainder of natural life) for raping his stepdaughter. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the convict. In case of default of payment of fine, the convict will further undergo RI for one year.

“It is an apt case reflecting depletion of human values and deviation from norms and code of conduct of our enriched and esteemed society. It is a case where the accused not only raped his stepdaughter, but stooped down to the level of calling the complainant i.e. the mother of the victim to hear the screams of her daughter while she was being ravished by him,” said the court in the order while rejecting his plea of leniency.

The police registered an FIR on the complaint of the victim’s mother on April 4, 2019, under Sections 363, 365, 366A and 376 (3) of the IPC and Section 6 of the POCSO Act at the Industrial Area police station.

The complainant told the police that she was working as a housemaid. She solemnised marriage with a person, a rickshaw-puller. She had two sons and a daughter aged 13 years out of wedlock. Due to temperamental differences, her husband left the house.

In 2013, she got married to the accused. No child was born from the wedlock. Initially, she started residing with the accused at his house in a village in Uttar Pradesh. After spending three to four months there, she returned to Chandigarh as the accused was pressuring her to have another child.

She told the accused that it was not possible for her to bear another child as she has undergone surgical procedure for sterilisation. Thereafter, the accused started beating and abusing her in the presence of her children. He also started making sexual advances towards her minor daughter.

When she tried to stop him, he threatened to rape her daughter in her presence. The accused took her minor daughter to his native place without informing her. She went to the native village of the accused to bring her daughter back, but he refused to hand over the girl to her. The accused told her that he had made physical relations with her and will marry her.

During investigation, the accused was arrested and the victim was recovered from his possession. After the completion of investigation, a chargesheet was presented in the court.

The counsel for the accused denied all charges and claimed that he was falsely implicated in the case. The public prosecutor said the prosecution had proved the case beyond a shadow of doubt.

After hearing of the arguments, the court convicted the accused for the offences punishable under Section 376 (3) of the IPC and sentenced him to undergo RI for life.