Thane court sentences man to 20 years RI for raping, impregnating minor daughter

Thane, Oct 19 (PTI) A court in Maharashtra's Thane district sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for repeatedly raping his minor daughter and impregnating her.

Additional Sessions Judge D S Deshmukh found the 40-year-old accused guilty of the charges under sections 313 (Causing miscarriage without consent), 376(2)(h) (aggravated rape), 506 (criminal intimidation) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

A copy of the order dated October 16 was made available on Sunday.

The judge sentenced the accused to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on him.

Special public prosecutor Rekha Hiwrale said that 13 prosecution witnesses, including the victim, deposed before the court.

As per the details of the case registered in October 2021, the accused, who was an autorickshaw driver, repeatedly sexually assaulted his 15-year-old daughter, often under the influence of alcohol and threatened her with a knife.

When the girl discovered she was pregnant, she initially named a boy due to "fear of the accused (father)", and the latter attempted to terminate the pregnancy using abortion pills.

Following the failed attempt, the accused arranged for an abortion without her consent and buried the aborted foetus at a secluded spot.

The court noted that the survivor suddenly changed her statement regarding the sexual assault during the final stages of cross-examination. It deemed this a result of coercion.

"It clearly shows that she was won over by the accused and her mother, and as the accused is her father, she has changed her stand," it said.

It also noted that the DNA analysis confirmed that the accused and the victim were the biological parents of the foetus.

"All these acts of the accused are heinous and by adducing corroborative oral and documentary evidence, the prosecution has proved that the accused had committed penetrative sexual assault on the girl due to which she carried a pregnancy," the court said.

The judge has directed that the fine money collected be given to the survivor as compensation.

The case has been recommended to the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Thane, for awarding compensation to the survivor. PTI COR ARU