‘Need to keep him away from society’: Aligarh court sentences man to 20 years rigorous imprisonment for raping, filming Class 12 student

AGRA: A Pocso court in Aligarh has sentenced a 25-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 16-year-old girl in 2021 and uploading a video of the act online. Delivering the verdict on Friday, additional district and sessions judge Abhishek Kumar Bagaria stressed the need to isolate such offenders, observing that given the nature of the crime, "it seems justified to detain him [the convict] in prison for reform efforts, keeping him away from society and family."In the police complaint, the girl's mother said her daughter, then a Class 12 student, was accosted by the convict, a neighbour, when she stepped outside their home. He dragged her into nearby bushes, sexually assaulted her, and recorded the act on his mobile phone before uploading the video online.An FIR was subsequently registered under IPC Section 376(3) (punishment for rape of a woman under sixteen years of age) and relevant provisions of the Pocso Act, and the man was arrested. He was, however, granted bail a few months later."After a thorough trial and examination of all evidence and witnesses, the court on Friday delivered its verdict, sentencing the man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment," said additional district government counsel (ADGC) Mahesh Singh on Saturday.The court, in its order, remarked, "The accused's entire act is punishable under the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act. Therefore, in the current circumstances, it seems justified to detain him in prison for reform efforts, keeping him away from society and family. Due to the young age of the accused and his being the sole breadwinner and financial support of his family, it seems justified to keep the fine imposed against him low in comparison to the expenses incurred in the treatment and rehabilitation of the victim."The judge imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on the convict, of which Rs 15,000 will be given to the survivor, and if he fails to pay it, he will have to undergo an additional eight months in jail.