Srinagar: A city court on Wednesday awarded eight years imprisonment and fine of Rs 20,000 to a man from Bihar convicted of kidnapping and raping a 15-year-old girl from Srinagar in 2016.
The 2nd Additional Sessions Judge Srinagar had convicted the accused, Santosh Kumar Paswan, son of Saider Paswan of Lalpora Bhim Nagar Bihar, in the case punishable under sections 363 (kidnapping) and 376 (rape) of RPC, on March 17, 2024.
Pronouncing the quantum of sentence, Renu Gupta Dogra, the presiding officer of the trial court, said “having regard to the totality of the circumstances including the fact that the offence has been committed with a minor girl, I am of the considered opinion that 8 years of imprisonment with fine for offence under section 376 and seven years of imprisonment with fine for offence under section 363 RPC is an adequate punishment for accused in the instant case.”
In case of default in payment of fine, the convict shall further undergo simple imprisonment of 2 months.
The punishment for both the offences shall run concurrently. “However the custody undergone by the convict during investigation and trial of the case, shall be set off against the sentence of imprisonment so imposed upon the convict,” ordered the court.
It also asked the chairman District Legal Service Authority, Srinagar, to consider the case of the victim girl for compensation.
Pertinently, police had filed the charge-sheet against Paswan regarding kidnapping and rape of the minor girl (name withheld) in 2016.
According to prosecution, on 1 September 2016 a complainant was lodged at Police Station Kralkhud by the girl’s father that in his house a person namely Santosh Kumar Paswan was doing mason work and after completing his work at his home, he often used to visit his house.
The complainant said his daughter was missing and that he had doubts that she had been enticed. During the course of search, the girl and kidnapper were found riding on a motorcycle near Humhama and going in a suspicious manner towards the airport, the prosecution said.
Subsequently, the prosecution said, they were apprehended and brought to Police Post Humhama. The motorcycle, air tickets of the accused and prosecutrix from Srinagar to Delhi were seized, the prosecution said.
The medical examination of the prosecutrix (girl) was conducted by a doctor who confirmed her pregnancy of over 10 weeks.
Actually, the prosecution said, the accused used to go to her home and after taking advantage of the minority and immaturity of the victim, the kidnapper had established an illicit relationship with the girl.
