This story is from September 22, 2019

Mumbai: 9-year-old defies mom, gets ‘dad’ 10-year jail for rape

A Pocso court in Mumbai has convicted a 25-year-old man of raping the 9-year-old daughter of his live-in partner and sentenced him to 10 years jail. The court lauded the kid for standing her ground on the rape despite pressure from her mother, a sex worker, not to depose against the man. The rape had taken place in June 2017 when the woman had left the girl at a neighbour’s house to go to work.
Mumbai: 9-year-old defies mom, gets ‘dad’ 10-year jail for rape
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Key Highlights
  • A Pocso court in Mumbai has convicted a 25-year-old man of raping the 9-year-old daughter of his live-in partner and sentenced him to 10 years jail.
  • The court lauded the kid for standing her ground on the rape despite pressure from her mother, a sex worker, not to depose against the man.
  • The rape had taken place in June 2017 when the woman had left the girl at a neighbour’s house to go to work.
MUMBAI: Lauding a 9-year-old rape survivor's bravery for deposing against her mother's live-in partner even after her mother exerted pressure on her not to testify against him, a special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act court on Thursday convicted and sentenced the now 25-year-old accused to 10 years' imprisonment.
The girl, who referred to the accused as "father", was moved to a shelter home after the incident.

"Even though the victim was asked by her mother during monthly visits to the children's home not to depose against the accused, by giving an inducement that they all will go to the village and reside together, the victim stood her ground and showed exemplary courage to depose against him," special judge Bharti Kale said.
Special public prosecutor Rakesh Tiwari examined six witnesses, including the child, a doctor, police and the mother.
The mother, a sex worker and complainant in the case, had turned hostile in the court. But she did not support the prosecution's case and told the court that she had gone to the police under the influence of alcohol.
The prosecution stated that on June 14, 2017, the mother had left the child at a neighbour's house and gone to work at 10pm. When the mother returned at noon, the neighbour said the accused had taken the child home.

When the mother went home, she saw that both were asleep, the prosecution said. The prosecution submitted that later, when the mother took the child to visit her friend, the child told her that three days earlier, the accused had taken her home from the neighbour's house and raped her.
The child was examined at Nair Hospital after the mother lodged a police complaint on June 17, 2017.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
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About the Author
Rebecca Samervel

Armed with a degree in political science and law, Rebecca Samervel waltzed into journalism after a brief stint in modeling. As a reporter at The Times of India, Mumbai, she covers courts. She is a self-confessed food-a-holic. Travelling, politics and television are her passions. If you want to find her during the week the only place to look is the Bombay high court.

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