Man sentenced to 19 yrs for kidnap, rape of minor; friend gets 15 yrs

A youth has been sentenced by a fast-track court here to over 19 years in jail for kidnapping and raping a minor and also filming the "sex act" with the help of his friend, who has been awarded about 15 years' imprisonment.

Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat, who heads the fast-track court in Dwarka, awarded the varying jail terms to Surinder Kumar Babbar and Yogesh Kumar and said "exemplary" punishment should be awarded for these kinds of crimes to serve as a "deterrent".

"These kinds of crimes require exemplary treatment and any liberal attitude shown by imposing meagre sentence and taking too sympathetic view would be counter protective in the long run and against the social interest which needs to be cared for and strengthened by adopting a deterrent sentencing policy," the court said.

The sentences imposed on both the convicts "shall run one after the other", the judge said.

Surinder (24) has been sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of seven years with a fine of Rs 25,000 for the offence of kidnapping, 10 years with a fine of Rs 25,000 for the offence of rape, six months for insulting the modesty of a woman and two years for criminal intimidation under the Indian Penal Code.

Yogesh (25) has been sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of 14 years along with fine of Rs 20,000 for abetment of kidnapping and rape, three months for insulting the modesty of a woman and one year for criminal intimidation under the IPC.

The court also referred to the recent gangrape of a 23-year-old paramedic student aboard a moving bus and said social impact of sexual offences against women "cannot be lost sight of" while sentencing a convict.

According to the prosecution the girl, a Class XII student, was regularly harassed by Surinder. When she rejected his advances, Surinder, with the help of Yogesh , in November 2010 kidnapped and raped her and also filmed the "act" to blackmail her and ensure her silence.

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