Assam man gets 20 years in jail for raping minor in Dhubri

In a major decision, a man was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 14-year-old girl by POCSO by the Court of Additional Sessions Judge cum Special Judge, POCSO. 

The has been identified as Sobur Ali, a resident of Village Pokalagi Part-III, which comes in the jurisdiction of Golakganj Police Station. 

The person accused of raping a 14-year-old girl was found guilty.

In her decision dated June 28, 2023, the special judge found Ali guilty of violating several provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). 

Following this, the defendant received a sentence of harsh imprisonment for various terms of time as well as penalties.

According to the judgment, Ali was convicted under Section 341 of IPC, and he received a one-month simple imprisonment sentence and a fine of Rs. 500/- under the same section.

Additionally, he was convicted under Section 342 of IPC, resulting in a one-year rigorous imprisonment sentence and a fine of Rs. 1000/-. Furthermore, he was found guilty under Section 365 of IPC, leading to a five-year rigorous imprisonment sentence and a fine of Rs. 5000.

Finally, he was convicted under Section 4(2) of the POCSO Act, 2012, and was sentenced to undergo a rigorous imprisonment of 20 years, along with a fine of Rs. 1,00,000/-. All the sentences are to run concurrently, as mentioned in the judgment.

Uttam Kumar Sarkar, Special Public Prosecutor, POCSO, presenting a brief case stated that on September 3, 2020, the complainant filed a complaint with the Officer-in-charge of Golakganj police station. 

The complainant alleged that on August 22, 2020, at 5 pm, when his 14-year-old daughter was on her way to a grocery shop near their residence, the accused forcefully kidnapped her in a toto vehicle.

It was later discovered that the accused had taken the victim to an unknown location in Siliguri, West Bengal. The complainant searched for his daughter and lodged the complaint after locating her.

Based on the complaint, the Golakganj police registered Case No. 808/2020 dated September 4, 2020, under Sections 341/365/342/34 of IPC against Sobur Ali and another individual named Yanur Ali. 

The case was subsequently investigated.

On January 8, 2021, the learned SDJM(S), Dhubri, added Section 376 of IPC r/w Section 4 of the POCSO Act, 2012, to the case based on the material in the case diary and the statement recorded under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

The judgment of the Court of Additional Sessions Judge cum Special Judge, POCSO, Dhubri, highlights the gravity of the crime committed by Ali and serves as a significant step toward ensuring justice for the victim.

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