Youth gets 10 yrs for rape of physically challenged minor

JALPAIGURI: The Jalpaiguri POCSO Court has sentenced a youth, Binod Tigga, to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for the rape of a physically challenged minor. Judge Indawar Tripathi announced the verdict on Monday, also imposing a fine of Rs 20,000, with an additional two months of imprisonment if the fine is not paid.

The court ordered Rs 2 lakh to be handed over to the victim as compensation. Kallol Ghosh, head of the Legal Aid Defense Council, stated that the person convicted has already spent 9 and a half years in custody.

The crime had occurred on June 2, 2015, in a tea garden in the Jalpaiguri district. The minor was sexually assaulted after returning home from school to the tea garden where her parents are tea garden workers. While she was by a river, the accused, a neighbor, seized the opportunity to sexually assault her. The following day, her parents filed a complaint at the local police station.

Police acted promptly, arresting the accused on the same day the complaint was lodged under the POCSO Act. The accused had been in custody since then.