Kerala youth gets 20-year jail term for abducting, raping minor

A 21-year-old youth in Kerala, on Monday, March 14, was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of 20 years for kidnapping and raping a minor girl in Thiruvananthapuram a year ago. Judge R Jayakrishnan of a fast-track special court in Thiruvananthapuram found the youth Noufal, guilty of kidnapping the minor and committing the offences of rape several times.

The crime was registered by the Medical College police station in the state capital in 2020. He was found guilty of the crime under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The court said that investigation in the case revealed that the accused raped the victim on November 1, 2020 at her house in order to satisfy his lust and after abducting her, he committed the offence several times at a resort in a neighbouring district on November 30 the same year.

"For the offence under section 363 IPC (punishment for kidnapping), the accused is sentenced to undergo rigorous Imprisonment for five years and to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 with a default sentence for six months rigorous imprisonment. For the offence under Section 5(l) (repeated aggravated penetrative sexual assault) read with 6 (punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012, the accused is sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for 20 years and to pay fine of Rs 50,000 with default sentence for one year rigorous imprisonment," the court said and added that the sentences shall run concurrently.

The court ordered the government to provide the fine obtained from the convict as compensation to the survivor.

Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court allowed a 10-year-old sexual abuse survivor to terminate her 30 week pregnancy, on March 10. The child had become pregnant allegedly after being sexually abused by her father. The High Court permitted medical termination of her pregnancy at the SAT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. (PTI)