POCSO court concludes child’s rape trial in 24 days, gives life term to convict

A Mirzapur court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping a six-year-old, physically challenged Dalit girl, completing the trial in 24 days.

Delivering its ruling on Friday, the special court set up under the provisions of the Protection of Children from the Sexual Offences Act also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on convict Rajesh Yadav.

Expediting the trial, Special Judge Achhe Lal Saroj concluded it flat 24 days after filing of the charge-sheet by the police against accused Yadav on January 19 this year with the court taking cognisance of the charge-sheet a few days later, said the prosecution counsel.

The incident itself had occurred on January 7 this year when the accused had lured the girl with a speech impairment to a jungle near her home in the Madihan police station area. The accused had fled the scene after raping the girl and leaving her profusely bleeding, the counsel said.

When the family members found the missing girl, her mother lodged a complaint with the police naming Yadav as the accused. After the medical examination of the girl, investigating officer Prabhat Rai got her statement recorded with the help of an expert as the victim suffered from the speech disorder and filed the charge-sheet in the case on January 19.

Taking the matter seriously, the court conducted an expeditious trial and convicted the accused in 24 days.