Kolkata, July 29 In a five-year-old case, a court in Bankura district of West Bengal, on Tuesday, sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a minor girl and impregnating her.
The judgment was announced after the district court recorded the testimony of a total of 12 people during the hearing, which continued for the last five years.
At the same time, the district court also took into account the DNA report of the victim's child, which matched the DNA of the accused.
As the case goes, a rickshaw puller by profession, Basu Kalindi raped the minor daughter of a fellow rickshaw owner in Bankura district in 2020.
Later, the accused blackmailed the minor student of class 10 at that time and raped her for consecutive days.
The minor had initially concealed the matter from her parents because of fear and also the apprehensions about social stigma.
However, the matter became known after she conceived a child.
Thereafter, the victim narrated to her parents on what had happened to her, following which her family members in December 2020 approached the Bankura women's police station and filed a written complaint of rape against Basu Kalindi, the accused.
After registering a case under the POCSO section, the police arrested the accused rickshaw puller in the same month.
The charge sheet was filed within 50 days of registering the case, and the case had been underway since then.
During the trial process, the district court recorded the statements of a total of 12 people.
In addition, the DNA report of the victim's child matched the DNA of the accused person. Based on this evidence and testimony, the Bankura district court judge convicted the accused.
On Tuesday, the district court sentenced the accused to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 and ordered another year in prison if he defaulted in payment.
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