The crime came to light in 2022 when an ASHA worker, during a routine visit, noticed the girl’s swollen abdomen and advised her mother to seek medical attention
Kolhapur : A special Pocso court in Kolhapur has sentenced a 36-year-old man to life imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life after convicting him of repeatedly raping and impregnating his 14-year-old daughter.
The accused, a construction worker, sexually assaulted his daughter repeatedly between 2020 and 2022, allegedly luring her with sweets and money.
“There is no chance of reformation,” the judge stated in the order, adding that the possibility of threats from the accused remained not only towards the survivor but also towards his other daughter. The survivor and her family, including her parents, sibling and paternal grandmother, lived in a rented house in a village in Kolhapur district. During the trial, the survivor turned hostile. The court, however, relied on the scientific evidence, her status as a minor at the time of the offences and evidence that the accused had intimidated family members. In its order, the court observed that the accused continued to exploit his own daughter without regard for the consequences, including her pregnancy. The judge noted that family members appeared to have ignored the girl’s condition under the influence of the accused and credited the ASHA worker’s intervention for exposing the abuse. The prosecution was conducted by assistant public prosecutor A A Kulkarni.
Additional sessions judge and special judge (Pocso) A I Perampalli pronounced the verdict in open court on Tuesday, holding that the convict’s conduct showed no possibility of reform and posed a continuing threat to his family.
The crime came to light in 2022 when an ASHA worker, during a routine visit, noticed the girl’s swollen abdomen and advised her mother to seek medical attention. At CPR Hospital in Kolhapur, doctors found the minor was 22 weeks pregnant, following which police registered a case.