New Delhi, Oct 26 (PTI) A court here has convicted a man for repeatedly raping and impregnating a 19-year-old woman in 2018, saying it can be safely concluded that there was no consent from the victim.
Additional Sessions Judge Preeti Parewa was hearing a case against a man, who was accused of raping, abducting and criminally intimidating the victim.
In its 46-page verdict dated October 8, the court, after taking note of the evidence before it, said, “It can be safely concluded that there was an absence of consent of the victim and the accused had repeated sexual intercourse with the victim without her consent.” It said there was nothing on record to show that the prosecutrix had any motive to implicate the accused falsely and the victim’s unrebutted testimony was corroborated by her mother’s version.
“Additionally, the naivety of the victim can be assessed from the fact that after complaining of stomachache, she visited a hospital along with her mother, where she came to know about her pregnancy of five months. This fact also reflects the ignorance and lack of knowledge of the victim and her family,” the court said.
It said according to the DNA examination report, the accused was the child’s biological father.
Taking note of the victim’s testimony, the court said she was compelled by the accused to go to a secluded room in a park, where the accused repeatedly raped her. He also threatened the prosecutrix by saying if she disclosed the same to her mother, she would be driven out of her home.
It said, “The court cannot turn a blind eye to the strata of the society to which the victim belongs while appreciating her testimony. The amalgamation of guilt and embarrassment is the prime reason for fear generated in the mind of the victim in our society and the vulnerability of such a victim also cannot be lost sight of.” Underscoring that the prosecution had successfully proven its case against the accused, the court said the accused had “abducted the victim with the intent to seduce her to illicit intercourse, committed rape upon her three to four times, leading to her pregnancy and birth of a female child and also, criminally intimidated her”.
It then convicted the accused under sections 376 (rape), 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing a woman to compel her marriage, etc.) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The arguments on sentencing will be heard later. PTI MNR RC
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.