Ahmedabad: A special Pocso court on Monday sentenced a 25-year-old man to 20 years in prison for raping a minor, while his father, brother and uncle received the same sentence for aiding him.The convicts are Darshan Panchal alias Bablu, his father Prahlad and brother Vipul, all residents of Kalol, and his uncle Jayanti, a resident of Patan district.According to the prosecution, Bablu eloped with a 14-year-old girl from Ahmedabad on March 28, 2022. Her family filed a police complaint alleging abduction under IPC and Pocso. Police traced the two within three days, after which Bablu was also charged with rape.During the trial, additional public prosecutor Dilipsinh Thakor examined 12 witnesses and submitted 36 documentary pieces of evidence to establish that Bablu had repeatedly raped the minor and that his family members had assisted him after the abduction.When it came to sentencing, the defence sought leniency and submitted that the father and uncle of the main accused are aged above 50 years.Special Pocso judge Heena Desai stated, “Considering the facts of the case, accused No 1 (Bablu), despite knowing that the victim was a minor, abducted her and repeatedly established physical relations with her. The evidence produced by the prosecution further proves that accused Nos 2 to 4 assisted in the commission of the offence. If, in such a serious crime, the court adopts a lenient approach and imposes a lesser sentence on the accused, it is likely to have an adverse impact on society.”
