A sessions court in Lakshadweep on Monday sentenced a man to double life imprisonment for raping and impregnating his wife’s minor niece back in 2017.
Kavaratti Special Court Judge K Anil Kumar sentenced the man to life imprisonment for the offences of aggravated penetrative sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and rape under the IPC.
The court said that both sentences shall run concurrently. It also imposed a fine of Rs one lakh on the convict.
While the man was convicted, the court acquitted the victim’s mother who was accused of failing to report the crime committed against her daughter despite being aware of it.
According to public prosecutor Jibin Joseph, the then 26-year-old accused was the husband of the victim’s aunt.
The victim was 17-year-old when he first raped her in February 2017. Thereafter, he raped the girl several times and as a result she became pregnant, the prosecutor said.
When she became pregnant, the accused and the victim’s mother attempted to cause a miscarriage of the pregnancy, he said.
The prosecutor also said that while the accused man threatened the victim against disclosing the offences committed by him, her mother was aware of what had happened but did not inform the police.
