Mumbai, May 14: A special POCSO Court in Mumbai sentenced a 38-year-old man to jail till death after he was found guilty in a rape case of a minor. The accused had sexually assaulted the four-year-old daughter of a sex worker. The court noted that the minor victim witnessed the traumatic incident at a tender age, even before all her organs had developed. The judgement comes three years after the incident.

According to a report published by the Times of India, the minor victim and her mother were among the witnesses cited by special public prosecutor V D More to seek the accused's conviction. The judge said that a strong message should go to society that even the children of the red light area have the right to live with dignity and their childhood is precious, the report stated. The court, announcing the punishment, directed the accused to pay 50% of the Rs 1 lakh fine should be paid to the child as compensation. The victim is also entitled to compensation by District Legal Services Authority, Mumbai, under the various Victim Compensation Scheme as per rule, the judge said. Supreme Court Orders Man Who Raped His Nine-Year-Old Daughter To Undergo 20 Year Jail Without Remission, Says ‘Sanctity of Relationship Destroyed’.

As per the reports, the shocking incident occurred on August 8, 2020, when the child was alone. Reportedly, the landlady would look after the children while their mothers would leave at night. Finding her alone, the accused offered the minor something to eat and sexually assaulted her. The minor shared her ordeal with her mother when she returned home at 10:30 pm. When checked, the mother found that her daughter was bleeding. Uttar Pradesh: Man Sent to Life in Prison for Rape, Murder of Five-Year-Old Girl.

The mother then rushed the minor to a hospital and informed the police subsequently. Acting on the complaint, the police arrested the accused and booked him under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and POCSO Act. During the hearing, the accused told the court that the child's mother had falsely implicated him as she was unhappy about his relationship with her friend, a defence court refuted.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 14, 2023 09:33 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).