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A special court in Mumbai Thursday sentenced a 26-year-old man to 20 years’ imprisonment for raping his five-year-old cousin in 2018.
The court found the accused guilty under charges of rape under section 376AB of the Indian Penal Code which has the minimum punishment for 20 years for the rape of a woman under 12 years of age.
According to submissions made by special public prosecutor Veena Shelar, the victim’s father was booked and arrested on allegations of setting her mother on fire causing her death.
As there was no one to take care of them, the victim and her brother stayed with their aunt — father’s elder sister — and their paternal grandfather.
In May 2018, the grandfather too passed away. Other family members, including the victim’s uncle and their sons, were visiting the city for the final rituals.
On May 26, 2018, when their aunt was visiting the market, the accused — son of the elder brother of the girl’s father — sexually assaulted the victim.
When the aunt returned, she saw the victim crying and asked her about it.
The victim revealed about the incident to the aunt and she rushed her to a doctor, who examined her and referred her to a public hospital, where following an examination, the police were alerted.
The accused had claimed that he was falsely implicated over a property dispute.
The court relied on the statements of the victim, the aunt of the accused and the victim, and on medical evidence to convict the accused.
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