Lucknow: A Pocso court in Hardoi has awarded 10 years jail to a man for raping a minor girl nine years ago and slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 on him. The court rejected the plea of the accused for acquittal on the grounds that he had later married the survivor and the couple now has two children.The trial continued for nine years and the judgment came on March 19. Special judge Manmohan Singh in his order said the evidence proved the girl was a minor at the time of crime and therefore her consent (for sexual relationship) was immaterial in the eyes of the law.In Jan 2017, the accused, then 20 years old, had sneaked into the girl’s home in Madhoganj village of Hardoi at night. The girl, who was then 13, was sleeping on a cot when the accused raped her. When she raised an alarm, the accused fled. He belonged to the same village.Police later booked the accused for rape under the Pocso Act.During the trial, the prosecution produced four witnesses and nine documentary pieces of evidence.During the trial, it came to light that the accused and the survivor were in a relationship. The girl told the court that she had lodged a rape case on the pressure of her parents. The two got married a few days after the incident.
