Maharashtra: Man gets life imprisonment for minor girl's rape, murder bid

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A court here in Maharashtra has sentenced a 25-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping a seven-year-old girl and attempting to kill her in 2017, observing that the crime was "heinous in nature".

Special POCSO court judge Aditee U Kadam in her order pronounced on Friday, a copy of it was made available on Saturday, also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the accused and directed that the victim be provided a compensation through the district legal services authority (DLSA).

Special Public Prosecutor Jaiprakash Patil told the court that on December 9, 2017, when the victim had gone to her maternal grandmother's house in Vasai area of Palghar, the accused took her to a fort and raped her. The man later pushed the girl into a well and hit her with a huge stone.

The accused was subsequently charged under relevant provisions, including sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the prosecutor said.

After hearing both the sides, the judge observed that the offence committed by the accused is "very much heinous in nature". "He behaved like a savage and a brute," the court said, adding that the girl suffered various injuries and pain.

Thus, no leniency can be shown to the accused, the judge said.

The court said the state has the responsibility to punish the wrong doer/guilty and also to see the victim is not only compensated for the loss and injury suffered, but also for the rehabilitation.

"The victim belongs to a poor financial background. The humiliation or the reputation that is snuffed out cannot be re-compensated, but then monetary compensation will at least provide some solace. The victim and her family have suffered a lot," the court observed.

Therefore, taking into consideration all these factors, the court is of the view to grant a compensation to the victim through the DLSA, the judge said.

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