New Delhi: A Delhi court recently sentenced a 67-year-old security guard to 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl and directed that the survivor be paid Rs 10.5 lakh as compensation.While pronouncing the sentence, the court said the crime had caused deep physical and psychological trauma to the child, warranting stringent punishment along with substantial financial relief for her rehabilitation.“A strong message must be conveyed to society that such offences against the children shall not be tolerated under any circumstances and such offenders shall be dealt with strictly by the court,” additional sessions judge Ajay Nagar said.Prosecutor GC Soni said the case dates back to May 2024. The survivor’s mother had gone to work around 4 pm and, upon returning at 6 pm, was informed by her son and daughter that while the six-year-old girl was playing in a park, the accused, whom they referred to as “nana”, was doing “wrong acts” with her. The mother subsequently lodged a complaint against Nithalu Pandey, the security guard who lived in the neighbourhood. Charges were framed under IPC and Section 6 of the Pocso Act.Relying on the testimonies of the survivor, her mother, the victim’s sibling and other children present at the playground, the court accepted the prosecution’s case and rejected the defence’s arguments. “The survivor was merely the age of 6 years at the time of the offence and the convict was at the age of about 65 years at the time of the offence,” the court said.Judge Nagar also noted that the accused kept changing his defence during the trial. At different stages, Pandey claimed he was falsely implicated for different reasons, including an argument with the victim’s brother and a dispute involving the children.Taking note of the survivor’s family’s weak financial condition, the court directed the payment of Rs 10.5 lakh as the final compensation, stating it was necessary for the survivor to live a future life “without any trauma and stress”.
