Chennai: A 33-year-old man, R Mohanraj, has been sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor girl in Chennai by the special court for exclusive trial of Pocso Cases.According to the prosecution, the girl, who was 15 years-old when the incident occurred in June 2020, did not disclose the abuse to anyone in her family since the man, her neighbour, threatened to hurt her if she revealed the assault.Three months later, noticing her swollen stomach, her mother, a coolie, came to know from her that she had missed her menstrual periods. This is when she told the family about the repeated sexual by her neighbour.Since it was lockdown, the girl had to stay alone in her home as her parents went out to work. Mohanraj, who came to know her through a relative, promised to give her briyani and took her to his home. He sexually assaulted her thrice in his home. Based on the mother’s complaint, Mohanraj was arrested. Later, the pregnancy of the girl was medically terminated at Kilpauk Medical College Hospital.During the trial, the girl, her mother recorded their statement and judge S Padma, based on this and medical records, confirmed that Mohanraj was guilty. She also ordered the state government to pay ₹3,05,000 as compensation to the girl for the mental trauma she underwent.
