Man, who was 17 when he raped minor, gets 7 years in jail

Pilibhit: A local court has sentenced a 25-year-old man to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 17-year-old in a village under Pilibhit Kotwali police station limits on March 17, 2017. Both the convict and the girl were 17 at the time. The case, registered under the Pocso Act, concluded on Saturday evening with the verdict delivered by additional district and sessions judge Dr Shiva Pandey.
Following a written complaint by the girl's father, police initially registered an FIR under IPC sections 363 (kidnapping), 366 (inducing a woman to compel marriage), and provisions of the Pocso Act. On March 23, police found the girl, and her medical examination confirmed rape, leading to the addition of IPC section 376 (rape) to the charges.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on the convict and ordered an additional three months of imprisonment if he failed to pay. Public prosecutor Kush Kumar Verma said half of the penalty amount will be given to the survivor, who is also entitled to compensation under the Pocso Act as per state govt provisions. Considering that both the convict and the girl were minors at the time, the court awarded the minimum seven-year sentence applicable under IPC section 376 in 2017, Verma said.
In its judgment, the court noted that adolescents sometimes engage in acts without realising their legal consequences. However, it stated that ignorance of the law is no defence, and punishment was necessary to uphold justice. Juvenile Justice Board usually handles cases of minors but can transfer them to a regular court after assessment.
During the trial, court statements from the survivor and the convict, along with evidence and documents submitted by the police, established that the case involved elopement rather than kidnapping or abduction. The court, therefore, acquitted the accused under IPC sections 363 and 366 but convicted him under IPC section 376 and the Pocso Act.