No mercy for raping minor orphan, man given life term

By his brutal acts, a girl of less than 16 yrs was made a mother. Can't be let off lightly: HC

Noting that the rape of a minor was nothing short of a "psychological time bomb" that has serious impact on the victim throughout her life, the Delhi High Court sentenced the convict to a life term in prison on Monday.

Three years after Mohan first forced himself on a teenaged orphan living at Nirmal Chhaya Complex, Justice A K Sikri rejected his mercy plea and sentenced him to the maximum punishment for the crime.

The judge also noted that the minor girl had also given birth to a child in July 2007 because of Mohan's "devious" acts.

"By his brutal acts, a girl of less than sixteen years was made a mother by convict Mohan. Not only would the repeated acts of rape be a permanent scar on the victim, becoming a mother at this age is neither physically nor psychologically feasible. It is, therefore, clearly a case of aggravated form of sexual assault," Justice Sikri said.

The incident had come to light in May 2007 when a welfare officer from Nirmal Chhaya noticed the victim's pregnancy bulge. The victim then told the officer that Mohan, a vendor who used to bring water to her school Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in Hari Nagar, had been assaulting her for the last six to seven months.

The ordeal, as per the victim's statement, continued inside the school premises while she remained unaware of her pregnancy. The medical test conducted on the girl revealed that the pregnancy was at an advanced stage and could not be terminated.

Mohan, then 43, was subsequently arrested and convicted by a trial court in July last year.

He, however, challenged the order in the High Court and claimed that the girl was a major and had given her consent to the sexual intercourse.

... contd.

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