57-year-old man raped 10-year-old mentally-challenged girl, gets two life terms

Representational Image

A 57-year-old man is awarded two life sentences by a court in Vadodara for raping a 10-year-old mentally-challenged girl in 2016. District and sessions judge N L Dave on Monday held the accused, Lalji Parmar, guilty of raping a minor girl in the staff quarters of the city-based M S University, where they both were neighbours.

Upholding the government pleader's arguments and considering evidence on record, the judge pronounced the life sentence, while holding Parmar guilty under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on him.

The judge also awarded life imprisonment to him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and said the two sentences will run concurrently. Parmar, who worked as a peon in the university's Faculty of Technology and Engineering, had raped the girl in a room located next to his house on August 28, 2016.

The girl's mother had spotted him leaving the room after committing the offence. The victim was immediately taken to a hospital, where her medical examination confirmed rape. An FIR was subsequently lodged at the Sayajigunj police station under relevant sections of the IPC and the POCSO Act and the accused was arrested.

The police had also recorded the girl's statement before a judicial magistrate under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). The court rejected the defence counsel's plea to take a lenient view on Parmar, given that he had lost his eyesight and that way was punished by nature.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates