Man gets 20yrs RI for raping minor girl 6 yrs ago

Pilibhit: The court of additional district and sessions judge (Pocso Act) here Tribhuvan Nath Paswan sentenced a 28-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for the rape of a 13-year-old girl from his native village in Aug 9, 2019.The crime was committed when the minor survivor was at home with her four-year-old sister. Her parents were away and her elder brother was working in the fields. The accused, then 22, barged into the house and raped her.Public prosecutor Kush Kumar Verma said the girl was rescued by neighbours who rushed to the house after hearing her screams. An FIR was initially registered under IPC sections 452 (house trespass), 354, and Pocso Act following a complaint by the survivor's father. After her statement under CrPC section 164 and her medical report, police added IPC section 376(3) (rape on a minor) and 506 (criminal intimidation) in the FIR. A chargesheet was filed on Sept 26, 2019.Verma said that the court found the man guilty of rape on Oct 17, but the sentencing was delayed by over a month because he went absconding. The court issued an arrest warrant, leading to a police search, and he was finally arrested in Haryana and brought to Pilibhit on Oct 22.In addition to the 20 years' RI under IPC section 376(3), the court on Tuesday also slapped a penalty of Rs 20,000 on the convict, failure to pay will invite additional one year in prison. The court also handed down sentences of five-year jail under IPC section 452 and two-years prison under IPC section 506, to run concurrently.