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Delhi

Priest gets life for raping two kids inside Mehrauli temple

New Delhi: Observing that the accused, a priest by profession, had repeatedly raped two minor girls within the sacred precincts of a temple and while doing this "has betrayed the trust and respect the victims and the public had upon him", a Delhi court handed down a life sentence to a 76-year-old priest for sexually assaulting a seven and a 9-year-old girl inside the temple premises in Southwest Delhi's Mehrauli in 2016.

In the very beginning of her 11-page order sentencing the priest, Vishwa Bandhu, POCSO judge Vijeta Singh Rawat, quoted American poet Maya Angelou from her book "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", stating: "Then there was the pain. A breaking and entering when even the senses are torn apart. The act of rape on an eight-year-old body is a matter of the needle giving because the camel can't. The child gives, because the body can, and the mind of the violator cannot."

On the defence's emphasis on the age of the convict being a mitigating circumstance during his sentencing, the court said that in its considered view, it has not been proved that the offences had been committed on account of any mental stress or emotional distress and "also considering that extremely vulnerable victims were preyed upon by the convict despite his old age and repeatedly, there seems to be no scope for reformation".

"Rather, considering the minor children aged about 7 and 9 years had been repeatedly raped by the convict, who was then aged about 69-70 years, irrefragable speaks volumes about the depravity and proclivity in the mindset of the convict which is an aggravating circumstance," the court ruled.

Judge Rawat also noted that no remorse was expressed by the priest at any stage of the trial and in that case, if leniency is shown, "this court would be letting down the children who have fought all odds to pursue the matter. These victims have been scarred for future. The court would also be failing in its duty if such predators are set free and allowed to circulate endangering other children".

Referring to the repeated assaults, the court said that this only went on to show the "rapacious" and "habitual" conduct on the part of the convict. "...such habitual sexual predator cannot be trusted with [sic]. He did not even cared [sic] for the respect and faith attached to his office as a priest and has also desecrated the temple where the children should have had a carefree and safe time," the court stated, sentencing the priest to a rigorous term of life in jail and a fine of Rs 50,000.

Further, in accordance with the Victim Impact Assessment Reports submitted by DSLSA, which recommended that the victims need to be compensated for their emotional trauma, the court granted a compensation of Rs 7,50,000 to each victim to secure their emotional and mental health and to ensure that they have unhindered education equipping them for a safer future.

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