30 years jail term to a man who raped his minor step-daughter in Kerala

Kerala: A Fast track court in Kerala convicted and sentenced a 36-year-old man a total of 30 years of imprisonment for raping his minor step daughter when her mother was not around in their Idukki based home. The order passed by Fast Track Court special judge T G Varghese was confirmed by Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) S S Saneesh.SPP Saneesh said that the incident occurred in 2018 when the then 32-year-old step-father raped the minor girl in their home in her mother's absence.The court convicted the accused on the basis of the victim's testimony as well as the statement given by her younger sister who witnessed the assault, the SPP said.The mother had turned hostile during the trial, he added.However, the convict would be serving only 10 years in prison as that is the highest punishment given to him by the court for each of the offences of aggravated penetrative sexual assault of a minor below the age of 12 years, by a person who was a relative and by someone who was in a position of trust or authority, under the POCSO Act.The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh on the convict and directed the District Legal Services Authority to provide an additional Rs one lakh to the minor girl, under the Victim Compensation Scheme, for her rehabilitation, the SPP said.Presently, the victim is living in a shelter home run by the Child Welfare Committee, he said.Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.