Man receives three year prison sentence for assaulting minor

A 28-year-old man has been sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment by a local court for sexually assaulting a minor girl in 2015. Additional Sessions Judge Babita Puniya had heard the arguments on sentencing last month and gave the quantum of sentence on April 8. The court had also granted a compensation of Rs 3 lakh to the victim.

The man was prosecuted under Section 8 (punishment for sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Special Public Prosecutor Sharawan Kumar Bishnoi, appearing for the State, had sought maximum punishment, emphasising that leniency was unjustified given the violation of a 16-year-old girl’s modesty.

It said that while society demanded that offenders be punished, the court had to strike a balance and avoid disproportionate emphasis on any single aspect.

In its judgement dated April 8, the court noted that the convict did not misuse the liberty of bail during the trial, he was a first-time offender, aged around 19 years on the date of the crime in 2015 and his conduct in jail was good.

On the convict’s family, the court noted that his parents had died and he was unmarried. It said he was earning Rs 12,000 a month while working in a shop earlier. “Therefore, considering the overall conspectus of the case, particularly the personal circumstances of the convict, the needs of society, the nature of the crime and the comparative age of the convict and victim on the date of occurrence, a sentence of three years rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 2,500 is appropriate,” the judge said.