Thane court sentences man to 20 years RI for raping minor

Thane, Jan 23 (PTI) A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for repeatedly raping a 17-year-old girl and impregnating her.

A special POCSO court judge, Ruby U Malvankar, on Thursday convicted Gaurang Girish Kanthariya (23) of charges under section 376(2)(n) (committing rape repeatedly on the same woman) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant provision of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

According to the prosecution, Kanthariya, a resident of Bhayandar East, had befriended the survivor in 2021 with a promise of marriage and raped her on multiple occasions. A case was registered against him on January 30, 2022.

The repeated assaults led to pregnancy, and the girl subsequently delivered a baby boy on August 15, 2023.

The court rejected the defence's argument that the relationship had been consensual based on the survivor's age.

"Admittedly, it has been proved by the prosecution beyond reasonable doubt that as on the date of commission of the offence, the victim was a minor. It is the settled law that a minor is incompetent to enter into any kind of contract and is incapable of giving consent. Hence, in law, consent of a minor is no consent," the judge held.

The prosecution presented three witnesses to prove the charges.

While the accused pleaded for leniency, citing his age and family responsibilities, the court noted the severity of the crime against a child.

The judge sentenced the accused to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on him to be paid to the victim as compensation. PTI COR ARU