The Uttarakhand High Court has dismissed an appeal by a man convicted of raping a minor, reaffirming that school records are reliable evidence for determining age under the POCSO Act. Justice Ashish Naithani upheld the 10-year rigorous imprisonment sentence, ruling that the prosecution had successfully established the convict’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The decision reinforces the legal principle that medical evidence is corroborative and that the absence of physical injuries does not invalidate a victim’s reliable testimony in cases of sexual assault.
The case originated in Udham Singh Nagar, where the appellant was accused of raping a minor girl. In October 2021, a district court found him guilty under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.
The convict subsequently challenged this verdict in the High Court, primarily questioning the victim’s status as a minor at the time of the incident and seeking to overturn the conviction based on alleged procedural lapses.
In his appeal, the convict’s defense counsel argued that the prosecution failed to provide a conclusive medical age determination, which they claimed weakened the case significantly. They further contended that the school records used to establish the victim’s age lacked a proven basis for the date of birth entries.
The defense also attacked the reliability of the First Information Report (FIR) and the victim’s own testimony, suggesting that the lack of visible physical injuries pointed toward an unproven allegation.
Justice Ashish Naithani rejected these arguments after a thorough review of the evidence. Addressing the dispute over the victim’s age, the court observed that school records produced during a trial carry significant evidentiary value and are a recognized legal standard for age determination. The bench noted that the defense failed to provide any “substantial rebuttal” to contradict the school records presented.
On the matter of medical evidence, the High Court clarified its secondary role in such trials. The court held that medical evidence is “only corroborative in nature.” It further emphasized that the absence of a conclusive medical opinion or physical injuries “does not negate sexual assault” if the victim’s testimony is found to be credible and reliable.
Concluding that the prosecution’s case remained unshaken, the High Court upheld the district court’s October 2021 order. The 10-year rigorous imprisonment sentence remains in effect, serving as a reminder of the court’s strict adherence to the POCSO Act’s protections for minors.
