Ahmedabad: A special Pocso court at the city sessions court on Tuesday sentenced a 26-year-old man to life imprisonment for abducting a minor girl, sexually exploiting her and demanding ransom from her family.According to the prosecution, the accused, Bhola Jatav, lured a 14-year-old girl to Uttar Pradesh and repeatedly raped her. He allegedly held her hostage for 27 days and demanded money from her family for her release. Amraiwadi police arrested Jatav and booked him under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and the IPC for rape, abduction and extortion.After the trial, the special court found Jatav guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment and imposed a penalty of Rs 1.20 lakh. The court also ordered Rs 7 lakh compensation for the victim’s rehabilitation.Special judge Madhur Mehta said, “It is clear that the victim is a minor and such types of offences have been increasing in the society for the last decade. This act is enacted for the protection of the minor victim. Therefore, a harsh sentence has been provided in the IPC as well as the Pocso Act. Therefore, if less punishment is imposed, then it may happen that a bad message will go to society and such type of offence may increase looking to any lenient view taken by the court. In view of the circumstances and provisions of the Pocso Act, the present accused does not deserve any leniency from this court.”
