The Delhi High Court on Thursday upheld the life term awarded to a man for raping a five-year-old girl saying that the minor’s statement had a ‘ring of truth’ and there was no reason to disbelieve her.
A bench of justices P K Bhasin and J R Midha dismissed the appeal of Om Prakash and upheld the sentence given by a trial court here in 2011 saying the evidence of witnesses has remained unshattered in their cross-examination. ‘Evidence of all the witnesses remained unshattered in their cross-examination and all of them render full credence to the prosecution case. In fact, the accused-appellant himself did not explain in his statement under Section 313 CrPC (recording of statement of accused) as to how he came to be apprehended by the public,’ the court said. ‘We are, therefore, of the view that there is no merit in this appeal and accordingly it is rejected,’ it said. Om Prakash, a resident of Aman Vihar, was awarded rigorous imprisonment for life by the trial court along with a fine of Rs 5,000.