20 years of imprisonment for sexually assaulting minor in Arunachal Pradesh

 OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: The special POCSO court in East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh has sentenced a person to 20 years of imprisonment, along with life imprisonment, for sexually assaulting and impregnating his minor stepdaughter on two occasions. The accused was found guilty of committing the offence of penetrative sexual assault on his stepdaughter and has been sentenced under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The case dates back to March 23 last year, when a written complaint was lodged at Jenging police station in Upper Siang district of the state by the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) to the effect that the accused had sexually assaulted his minor step-daughter in 2019 and again committed the same offence on the 13-year-old even after being out on bail. Subsequently, the Jenging Police launched an investigation and booked him under the POCSO Act.

The victim had been staying with Kalen since she was about 11 years old, when her mother, who works at a tea garden, married him. The man started sexually abusing the minor instantly after the marriage and ultimately impregnated her. The incident came to light when the aunt of the victim-survivor found out that she was pregnant and brought her to a Yingkiong hospital for a medical examination. Subsequently, an FIR was lodged, which led to his arrest. He was later placed on bail. But after his release from jail, the accused forcefully came again and stayed with the victim’s child and her mother, committing sexual assault on the minor and impregnating her again. While the defence counsel for the convict pleaded for mercy and prayed for a 20-year term, the special judge said that the convict had shown no remorse for his actions, had utter disregard for the law, and, despite being enlarged on bail, had committed the same offence twice. The judge, therefore, pronounced a double sentence in court against the convict, including 20 years of imprisonment for the first offence and life imprisonment for the subsequent offence.

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