Delhi court sentences man to 14 years RI for sexually assaulting minor in 2016

New Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) A Delhi court has sentenced a man to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl in 2016, saying offences abhorrent to the moral fabric of society must be dealt with sternly.

Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Gupta was hearing the arguments on sentencing against the man, a rickshaw puller, who was convicted last month under Section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the POCSO Act.

Special public prosecutor S K Bishnoi said the court could impose a punishment proportionate to the enormity of the crime, one that served as retribution and a stern warning to those who dared to commit such acts.

"Any leniency in sentencing would be a miscarriage of justice and a mockery of the pain endured by the victim," the prosecutor said.

In an order dated November 12, Judge Gupta said that crimes that inflicted severe mental, physical and emotional trauma on the victim could not be met with misplaced sympathy or leniency.

He said it was imperative to refrain from extending unwarranted indulgence to the perpetrators, as such mercy would amount to undermining the suffering of the victim and eroding public confidence in the justice delivery system.

"Offences which are abhorrent to the moral fabric of society and shake the collective conscience of the community must be dealt with sternly," the judge said.

He said that the offence was an aggravated and abhorrent act of sexual violence, which demonstrated a calculated exploitation of the victim’s vulnerability and constituted a gross violation of her dignity.

"The gravity of the offence necessitates stern condemnation and proportionate penal consequences both to vindicate the suffering of the victim and to deter others from indulging in similar predatory behaviour," the court said.

It then sentenced the convict to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment.

The court said that the offence would have undoubtedly caused intense fear, humiliation, emotional devastation, and lasting trauma that could hinder the victim’s ability to trust others and reintegrate socially.

"Such an act does not merely violate the body of a child, it violates her dignity and shakes the foundation of her identity and security," the court said, adding, the victim required tangible support to facilitate her psychological healing and rehabilitation.

The court also awarded her Rs 10.5 lakh compensation. PTI MNR MNR KVK KVK