GANDINAGAR: A POCSO Court has sentenced a 39-year-old man to life imprisonment till death for raping a four-year-old girl in Surat in just 29 days.
The special court of Prakashchandra Kala on Thursday found Hanuman Nishad guilty of raping the girl on October 12. The victim was found abandoned in an industrial area. The court also ordered a compensation of Rs 15 lakh to the survivor's family.
As per the order, Nishad has no criminal antecedent of the offence. These types of incidents, it said, are on the rise as helpless minor girls are not able to defend themselves, which makes such offences more serious.
The court observed that the survivor will remain affected forever in her life and showing mercy to the accused would give a wrong message to society.
"The court held hearings till 12 in the night. In just three days, the court examined 35 witnesses. This exercise was done only with the purpose to deliver speedy justice and send out a strong message to perpetrators of such crimes, " the public prosecutor said.
Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi said that the state police worked day and night and filed the charge sheet in just nine days which made fast justice possible. "The state government is determined for speedy justice. The verdict in historic low period has ensured fast justice to victim's family. It has also created fear among criminals. A strong example has been set in the society with this, " said Sanghavi.
The accused had picked up and assaulted the child when she was playing outside her home in Sachin GIDC area of Surat. He had committed the crime after watching a porn film on his mobile phone.
Police later found 149 porn films from his mobile phone.
The accused would buy porn films in memory card from a person called Sagar Shah alias Lucky. Sagar would download porn clips from internet in a computer and copy them in memory card to sell each such card for Rs 300. Sagar has also been nabbed.