Rajasthan: POCSO court sentences 63-year-old man to life term for raping teen daughter

A 63-year-old man convicted for life imprisonment for raping his teenaged daughter at his house in 2017 in Baran district of Rajasthan.

Kota: A POCSO court in Rajasthan's Baran district has convicted a 63-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping his teenaged daughter at his house in 2017. The court also imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on the convict.

Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Court - 1 of Baran district pronounced the verdict on Friday as it convicted Bhagwan Lal Galav (63), a resident of Mamli village under Nahargarh police station limts of Baran district, to life term till his natural death for raping his then 13-year-old daughter, Public Prosecutor (PP) of POCSO Court 1 Ghansilal Verma said.

On the night of December 1, 2017, Galav raped his 13-year-old daughter while she was asleep next to him at his house while other members of the family were in another room, the public prosecutor said.

The minor girl narrated the ordeal to her mother the following day after which a case of rape was lodged against the father under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the POCSO Act at Nahargarh police station, Verma further said.

Following a trial that lasted for more than two years, the special judge of POCSO Court 1 Rakesh Katara held Galav guilty of rape and convicted him to a life term in jail, the public prosecutor added.

In the judgement, the court said that the crime of rape with a minor daughter reflected distorted mentality and moral degradation and also hurts the self respect of women.

If the accused in such crimes escape punishment, it would invite distrust of people upon the law and legal system, the special judge observed while delivering the verdict. PTI