Gujarat: Man, 21, gets 20 years in jail for raping minor

RAJKOT: A 21-year-old man was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by a Pocso court in Morbi for raping and impregnating a 13-year-old girl in 2021.

Special Pocso court judge DP Mahida on Saturday convicted Dharmendra Meda and ordered the government to pay Rs 3 lakh compensation to the girl's family.

The girl's parents, who are natives of the Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh, were working as agriculture labourers in the Morbi district. The accused was the brother-in-law of the girl's father's friend. He lured the girl by promising to marry and they eloped. When the girl's father inquired with Khuman about Meda, he asked him to go to his native, saying he would bring his daughter there. However, Khuman stopped taking his calls.

The father then approached Rajgarh police station in Madhya Pradesh and submitted an application for complaint. The complaint was forwarded to Morbi police which traced the duo and arrested Meda.

Public prosecutor Sanjay Dave said, "Meda was convicted under IPC sections 376 (2) (N) and 376 (3) and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. The prosecution had submitted 12 oral and 33 documentary pieces of evidence to prove its case."

(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)