The Thane court also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the 44-year-old accused residing in Mira Road's Kashigaon area.
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Thane court on Wednesday sentenced a man to 10 years rigorous imprisonment for raping a minor girl in 2015. As per a PTI report, the Thane court observed that the crime is heinous and thus sentenced the man, who raped a 9-year-old girl, to rigorous imprisonment.
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Per the report, special judge (for POCSO cases) DS Dekhmukh, while announcing the verdict, said, "The punishment should give a clear message to the society at large that perpetrators in such cases are dealt with an iron hand."
The copy of the order passed on May 25 in the Thane court was made available on Wednesday, stated PTI.
Reportedly, the Thane court also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the 44-year-old accused residing in Mira Road's Kashigaon area. The judge ordered that the accused must pay the fine amount to the minor and referred the case to the District Legal Services Authority for compensation to her.
The accused was pronounced guilty under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
According to the report, Special Public Prosecutor Sandhya H Mhatre said to the court that the minor had gone to the accused's home in the neighbourhood to watch television on July 11, 2015, when he raped her.
She told the Thane court that when her parents were searching for her, she walked out weeping from the accused's home. She later told her parents about the incident who later filed a complaint with the police.
The Thane court judge, in his order, said the accused committed a heinous offence and that minimum punishment for such offences, per the POCSO Act, is 10 years and it should be imposed.
"The act of sexual assault on the child is to be viewed seriously and such offences are to be dealt in a stringent manner," the Thane court said and added, "Considering submissions of both the sides, the behaviour of the accused during the trial and at present he is 44 years old and considering that since last almost nine years he is in jail, I take a lenient view and the following punishment would meet the ends of justice."
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