Sonbadra (Uttar Pradesh): A court on Wednesday sentenced a man to 20 years’ imprisonment for raping a 12-year-old girl in 2021 and forcing her to undergo an abortion, officials said.
Additional Sessions Judge and Special Judge (POCSO Act) Amit Veer Singh also imposed a fine of ₹50,000 on the convict, Ramesh.
According to government counsel Dinesh Prasad Agrahari, Ramesh had taken the girl from the Jugail area in 2021 after assuring her father that he would look after her and arrange her marriage. The victim’s father, who had five daughters, agreed to hand over his youngest child to him.
The prosecution stated that Ramesh sexually assaulted the girl, and when she became pregnant, forced her to take pills to terminate the pregnancy. He also threatened to kill her if she revealed the crime. Later, he abandoned her at her maternal uncle’s house, where she disclosed her ordeal to her relatives.
Police registered an FIR on March 17, 2021, and later filed a chargesheet in the court. After hearing the case, the judge awarded Ramesh 20 years’ imprisonment along with the fine.
