27-year-old gets 20 years for raping 13-year-old

Rajkot: A special Pocso court in Dhoraji on Wednesday sentenced a 27-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for repeatedly raping a 13-year-old schoolgirl in Upleta in July 2025.Additional sessions judge A M Shaikh delivered the judgment, convicting the accused, who is originally from Dahod and a distant relative and neighbour of the victim, of aggravated penetrative sexual assault (Section 6) under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, as well as for rape (Sections 64(2)(M) and 65) under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).According to the prosecution, the crime was committed on July 11, 2025, when the accused abducted the girl while she was walking to school, forcing her onto his motorcycle. He then confined her in a hut on a field for 15 days, during which he raped her repeatedly.The crime came to light when the girl was rescued after her father lodged an FIR at Upleta police station.At trial, the defence argued that the victim had accompanied the accused willingly and attempted to dispute her age, claiming she was over 18. The court rejected these claims, with the prosecution proving the victim's age using official records that confirmed she was 13 at the time of the offence."The court noted that a minor is incapable of giving legal consent, making the defence's argument of a consensual relationship entirely invalid," said additional public prosecutor K M Parekh. The victim's testimony and medical evidence further strengthened the prosecution's case.The court imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the convict man and directed that Rs 7 lakh be paid as compensation to the victim. The court acquitted the accused under BNS Sections 137(2) and 87 (kidnapping and abduction) after the defence successfully proved the victim went with the accused of her own free will, though this was negated by the minor's inability to legally consent to sexual relations. The accused is married and has three children.