Rape of Dalit girls: Life sentence for rapist of 14-year-old Dalit girl; Co-suspect gets 20 years | Agra News

Agra: A special Pocso court in Agra has sentenced a man to life for raping a 14-year-old Dalit girl in 2022, while a co-accused, who suffers from HIV/AIDS which was confirmed during medical tests in prison, he was sentenced to 20 years. Police said the survivor “also became infected by him.”
Special Public Prosecutor (SPO), Madhav Sharma, told TOI on Sunday: “Both the men, Ram Sharma and the co-accused, have been sentenced to 20 years in jail. Pocso Actand Sharma was given a life term under the SC/ST Act. The court fined Sharma and the co-accused Rs 1,65,000 and Rs 1,15,000 respectively and said the entire amount should be paid to the survivor.
“It further ordered that a copy of the decision be sent to the district legal services to seek compensation of Rs 5 lakh from the girl along with the state government,” Sharma said.
While pronouncing the verdict, Additional District Court and Sessions Judge Parvez Akhtar noted that the kind of crime committed by the convicts against the minor “not only reveals their bad mentality but also highlights the lack of humanity in them”.
“Such crimes not only restrict an individual, but create fear throughout society for the safety of children,” the verdict said.
According to the complaint filed at Shahganj police station on July 31, 2022, the girl’s father alleged that the 14-year-old left the house and went towards Sikandra after an argument. Here she met two strangers who sexually assaulted her on July 2 after taking her to a nearby forest.
They also threatened her not to inform anyone about the crime and one of them gave her a phone number to “keep in touch”. Her family found out after her health began to deteriorate and she tested positive for HIV/AIDS.
The minor then gave a detailed account of her ordeal before the magistrate and police managed to trace the accused men using one of their telephone numbers. An indictment – ​​containing technical and medical evidence – was subsequently filed in court on December 2, 2022.
The SPO said: “Ten witnesses testified during the trial. The girl’s testimony, along with statements from the investigating officer and doctors, played a crucial role in apprehending the perpetrators. Based on the available evidence, the court convicted the two men. – both in their late twenties.”