Youth gets 20-year jail term for rape of minor in Siwan

PATNA: A special POCSO court of judge Manoj Kumar Tiwary in Siwan sentenced one Mahendra Singh (26) to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for a 12-year-old girl’s rape at village Bhataulia under Mufassil police station area in Siwan on September 8 last year.
The court convicted Mahendra despite the fact that the victim and her family members had turned hostile during the course of trial.Special public prosecutor (POCSO Act) Naresh Kumar Singh said Rs1 lakh fine was also slapped on the convict.
He said 75% of the amount would be used for medical assistance and rehabilitation of the victim. In case of non-payment of the fine amount, the convict would have to spend one year more in jail,” he said.
Singh said the victim used to live with her maternal grandparents as her parents had passed away. “She had gone to attend the nature’s call in the wee hours of September 8 when Mahendra dragged her to a nearby maize field and raped her,” he said.
Singh said the victim and her family members had turned hostile during the course of trial, but the court believed that they were influenced by the convict. He said the medical report said her private parts had injuries and court relied on it.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)