MP High Court cuts rapist's jail term for sparing his minor victim's life
The Madhya Pradesh High Court recently curtailed the life sentence of a man convicted of raping a 4-year-old child on the grounds that he was 'kind enough' to leave the victim alive, media reports said.
A bench of the high court comprising Justice Subodh Abhyankar and Justice SK Singh reduced the life imprisonment of the convict to 20 years, India Today reported.
Passing the judgment on October 18, the court said, "In such circumstances, this court does not find any error in appreciation of evidence by the trial court and considering the demonic act of the appellant, who appears to have no respect for the dignity of a woman and has the propensity to commit sexual offences even with a girl child aged four years, this court does not find it to be a fit case where the sentence can be reduced to the sentence already undergone by him."
"However, considering the fact that he was kind enough to leave the prosecutrix alive, this court is of the opinion that life imprisonment can be reduced to 20 years' rigorous imprisonment," it added.
"Accordingly, the criminal appeal is partly allowed and the appellant will be made to suffer the period of 20 years in accordance with the law," it added.
The man lived close to the hut of the girl's family, who worked as labourers, in a tent. He lured the child by offering her a rupee and raped her after she fell into his trap.
The girl's grandmother discovered the missing girl in the man's tent and saw him raping her. Her testimony and medical evidence proved that the girl was indeed raped.
The convict had appealed that the jail time of 15 years he has served so far be considered enough, NDTV reported.
Citing that the man was kind enough to spare the victim's life, the High Court found no reason to overturn the conviction order passed by the Additional Sessions Judge, Indore, added the report
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