Court sentences faith healer to 14 years in prison for sexually abusing minors

A court in Kashmir on Tuesday sentenced a faith healer to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment for committing unnatural sexual offenses against two minor children during their religious lessons.

On Monday, the court convicted Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh of offenses under Section 377 (unnatural sexual act) of the Ranbir Penal Code in connection with a case registered in March 2016.

Dismissing the defense counsel’s assertion regarding a four-year delay in filing the FIR, Chief Judicial Magistrate Sopore Mir Wajahat justified the delay with a poem:

“Better late than never; A voice once lost, now breaks the chain, No more silence, no more pain. Justice waits, though time may sever, Yet truth prevails — better late than never.”

While sentencing Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh, a religious preacher and faith healer, the judge imposed seven years of imprisonment for each offense, stating that the sentences would run consecutively, resulting in a total of 14 years of rigorous imprisonment.

In its 10-page order, the judge noted that the victims endured “a series of sustained sufferings, each incident compounding the scars that still live within them.” The judgment further emphasised that the abuse was not a “momentary transgression but a prolonged, systematic infliction of trauma that deeply affected their sense of self, leaving them grappling with an internalised shame that society often fails to acknowledge.”

Upon examining the evidence, arguments and legal precedents, the court concluded that “the victims were minors who suffered severe psychological trauma, and the accused exploited his spiritual influence, making the crime even more egregious.”

Advocate Ayshia Shakeel Zahgeer, counsel for one of the victims, confirmed that the court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the convict. Out of this amount, each of the two victims will receive Rs 45,000 as compensation.

The case against Sheikh was filed in 2016 at the Bomai police station in North Kashmir by the father of one of the victims. Moved by the harrowing experiences of the victims, Judge Mir Wajahat had expressed his sentiments through a poem on Monday, capturing the tragedy endured by the children.