NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault on his 12-year-old cousin, terming his act “highly abominable”.Girls aren’t safe even within the “four walls” of their own homes when persons like the convict show no respect for the pious relationship between a brother and sister, Judge Niti Suri Mishra said.She condemned convict Ajay’s actions as “heinous, inhumane and insensitive behaviour towards minor children who are the epitome of innocence.”During the sentencing, the court highlighted the impact of such crimes on a child’s mind, observing how “the dastardly memories of the offence may haunt the child, having negative impacts on her mental health for life.”Though the defence had prayed for leniency, submitting that the convict, now 42, had three children and aged parents dependent on him, the court rejected the plea. No circumstances concerning the accused could outweigh the immense mental health issues, including low self-esteem and psychological distress, that a child might undergo because of such an incident, the judge said.The incident doesn’t remain an isolated event in a victim’s life, she said. It has “serious ramifications on the reputation of the victim’s family in society.” Families are subjected to “boundless embarrassment and abasement” for no fault of their own, the judge remarked.The case goes back to 2013. Prosecutor Yogita Kaushik Dahiya said that when the child was alone at home while her siblings were playing outside and her parents were away, Ajay — then 25 — who was the son of the victim’s paternal aunt, arrived at their residence and committed penetrative sexual assault against her.Judge Mishra asked Delhi Legal Services Authority (north-west) to provide Rs 15 lakh to the survivor. “Not only such children, but even their families face humiliation, pain and trauma. Hence, it’s the entire family of the victim that suffers,” she added.
