Srinagar: A trial court in north Kashmir’s Kupwara on Wednesday sentenced a man to 10 years rigorous imprisonment for raping a 13-year-old girl in 2016.
The court of Additional Sessions Judge Handwara Umi Kulsoom convicted 26-year-old Showkat Ahmad Seer and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on him.
While sentencing the convict, the judge observed that the convict, who at the time of the crime was 18 years old, shattered the dignity of the girl; she has to bear the burden of the act committed by the convict throughout her life.
“The physical scar may have healed up, but the mental/emotional scar will always remain. When a woman is ravished, what is inflicted is not merely physical injury but the deep sense of some deathless shame. Child sexual abuse is a serious and heinous offence against the society and humanity,” the court said.
While refusing the defence plea for leniency, the court said, “To show mercy in a child sexual abuse case would be a travesty of justice. The socio-economic status of the convict in child sexual abuse case is not a relevant consideration in awarding punishment.”
