Mentally-challenged woman gets justice after death as court sends her rapist to 10 years jail

Thane: A court in Maharashtra's Thane district on Wednesday sentenced a security guard to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 64-year-old mentally-challenged woman, who is now dead, in 2021.

Additional sessions judge D S Deshmukh also imposed a fine of Rs 65,000 on the accused, Mohammad Guddu alias Dilkash Mohammad Habibulla Shaikh.

The court convicted the man under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 376 (rape), 354A (1) (i) (sexual harassment) and 452 (house trespass).

Additional public prosecutor Sandhya H Mhatre told the court that the victim's cognitive ability had remained underdeveloped and she was unmarried. She lived with her brother in Naupada locality of the city.

On November 4, 2021 afternoon, the accused, under the pretext of asking for drinking water, entered the victim's house when she was alone. He then pushed her on the floor, gagged her and raped her before fleeing from the spot.

When the victim's brother returned home later, he found his sister lying on the floor. She was unable to explain anything. He then took her to a doctor, who confirmed that she had been raped, following which a case was registered.

However, even before the commencement of the trial, the victim died.

During the trial, the prosecution examined nine witnesses, including the victim's brother, and the official of the security agency which employed the accused for the job.

The medical evidence also proved the charges against the accused, Mhatre said.

The judge ordered that the fine imposed on the convict be paid to the deceased victim's brother as compensation.