35-year-old convicted of raping Class VIII girl in Kolhapur, sentenced to 20 years in jail

Kolhapur: Principal district and sessions judge Kavita B Agrawal convicted a 35-year-old man of raping a Class VIII student and sentenced him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment.The student had delivered a baby girl prematurely on Sept 25, 2021, inside the bathroom of her house in Kolhapur. Her parents then lodged a complaint with the Kolhapur police, which booked two men under sections 376 of the Indian Penal Code, and sections 4 and 6 of the stringent Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. One accused got bail and was subsequently acquitted.The other accused was found guilty based on technical evidence. The court relied on DNA profiling, which revealed the 35-year-old accused as the biological father of the baby. The accused is currently in jail."The DNA profile of the baby girl delivered by the victim matched with the 35-year-old accused. It turned out to be crucial evidence, along with the statements of the victim and other witnesses. The girl delivered the baby when she was around six months pregnant. She and her parents were not literate enough, and believed that the swelling of her stomach was because of gas, and therefore ignored it. The accused and the father of the victim knew each other, both working at the same place. The accused used to call the victim to his house when his wife was out for work and used to abuse her, warning her that if she told her parents, then the lives of her parents would be in danger," said Shital Rote, assistant public prosecutor.The girl was a little over 13 years old at the time of the incident. After the incident, the girl even dropped out of school. The victim also alleged that the convict's friend raped her. The court acquitted the friend after the friend's lawyer brought to the court's attention that the statement recorded by the girl differed.