4-yr-old’s rape: 8-yr-old accused denied bail

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, February 21

A juvenile court on Wednesday denied bail to an eight-year-old boy, who along with two others, had been detained for allegedly raping a four-year-old girl in a local village earlier this month.

The counsel for the accused sought bail on the plea that he was not capable of committing the crime. On the other hand, Chetna Arora, counsel for the victim, said the boy had lured the girl on some pretext and also attempted sexual assault on her.

Chetna argued that if the boy was granted bail, it would prepare a ground for grant of bail to the other two elder boys who were involved in the crime.

The court rejected the bail plea on the ground that investigation into the case were going on and the police were yet to file a chargesheet.

Three schoolboys — students of Classes IX, V and IV — had been detained for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl at a village in the district on February 7. The boys were produced before a Juvenile Justice Board here and sent to an observation home in Hisar.

The boys allegedly took a four-year-old girl, who was playing near her house in the village, to a secluded spot and sexually assaulted her. The girl later informed her parents about the incident, who then lodged a complaint with the police.

A case under Sections 323 and 376 DB of the IPC and Section 6 of the POCSO Act had been registered in this regard.

No legal, financial aid for victim

The victim, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC) category, has not got any legal or financial aid from the government. The girl's father, who is a labourer, alleged that his daughter, who was gangraped on the evening of February 7, remained hospitalised for a week at the local PGIMS, where she also underwent a surgery. “I had to take a loan of Rs 20,000 for her treatment and other related expenses. I am a daily-wager and have not been able to work for several days. Hence, I am compelled to borrow small amounts from my friends, relatives and other acquaintances to meet the day-to-day expenses,” said the hapless father. Moved by the plight of the girl, Minakshi Nandal, a local social activist, supported the family. A woman lawyer, Chetna Arora, also lent a helping hand by representing the girl in a juvenile court. District Child Welfare Committee member Ganesh Kumar said they had written to the authorities concerned for provision of legal aid. “We will also make efforts for provision of adequate financial aid to the girl’s family,” he added.