Delhi: Conviction of man for raping daughter upheld
The high court noted that being the father of the girl was duty bound to protect his daughter and so dismissed his appeal.
New Delhi: The Delhi high court while upholding the life term of a man, convicted for raping and sodomizing his nine-year-old daughter, observed that nothing could be more heinous than a father ravishing his own daughter.
After being awarded a life term, the accused had moved the high court seeking setting aside the trial court's order or modification in the jail term. But the high court refused to set aside or modify the sentence awarded to him. The high court noted that being the father of the girl was duty bound to protect his daughter and so dismissed his appeal.
“Further, let it not be forgotten that this is a case of rape on a girl child, nine years old at the time of commission of the offence by her own father,” a bench of justices Siddharth Mridul and Mukta Gupta said in a recent order.
“Nothing can be more heinous than a crime committed on the child by her father, the one who is duty-bound to provide her unflinching protection from all harm,” ther high court said.
The high court bench upheld the life imprisonment awarded to the man, a resident of southwest Delhi, by the trial court in February 2013 for the offences of rape and sodomy.
The trial court had said the sentence would run concurrently and the man shall not be given any clemency by the state before he spends at least 20 years in jail.
The high court referring to a Supreme Court judgement, said it was necessary for the courts to have a sensitive approach while dealing with cases of child rape. The effect of such a crime on the mind of the victim is likely to be lifelong, the high court said.
A case was registered against the man at a police station near Najafgharh on the complaint by the victim’s mother alleging that one of her two daughters was raped by her husband in September 2012.
The incident came to light when the minor girl complained of abdominal pain and was taken to a doctor. The doctor told the the victim’s mother that the child was sexually abused. Following this, the minor had disclosed the ordeal.