Life term for rapist, court orders relief of Rs 2 lakh

New Delhi: A 21-year-old man, convicted of rape, has been awarded life imprisonment by a fast track court which refused to show leniency towards him saying the crime committed by him was “grave” and “serious”. 

The court also awarded a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the victim, who is a toilet cleaner at a place of worship, considering “the gravity of offence, mental and physical trauma, her social status and financial condition and the need for rehabilitation”.

Additional sessions judge Renu Bhatnagar sentenced Imran, a vegetable vendor, while holding him guilty of raping the woman after gagging her, and threatening to kill her. The judge said:  “Considering the gravity of the offence, the convict is sentenced to undergo life imprisonment for the offence punishable under Section 376 (rape) of the IPC. The convict raped the unknown prosecutrix, which cannot be ignored by the court and his act does not deserve any leniency.” 

The court directed the Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA), southeast Delhi, to compensate her. The court decided the case in favour of the victim, while relying on her testimony and medical evidence. 

“In the present case, there is consistency in the statement of prosecutrix. There is nothing on record to disbelieve her statement more so when the same is corroborated by medical evidence,” it said.

As per the prosecution, the incident took place on August 22, 2015 when she was walking towards her workplace in southeast Delhi to begin her duty at 8 am.  She claimed that she was passing through a jungle, but lost her way. 

Suddenly, Imran caught hold of her, she said. He dragged her, and after gagging her, committed rape. The accused also threatened to kill her if she disclosed the incident to anyone, but the victim ran towards a nearby bus stop where she fainted, and a person, who saw her, informed the police.