Court Awards Rs 10 Lakh Compensation, 20 Years Imprisonment to Rape Victim's Attacker

HYDERABAD: The Special Sessions Court for the trial of Pocso cases at LB Nagar on Tuesday sentenced Ramavath Chander, 27, to 20 years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 30,000 for raping a minor girl at Yacharam on the city outskirts in 2017.

The court also awarded Rs 10 lakh compensation to the victim. Police completed the investigation and filed a chargesheet in December 2018. The court took up the trial in June 2022 and delivered the verdict on Tuesday.

The accused, and the victim, who was then studying Class X, belong to the ST community. The testimony of the victim, her family and panch witnesses matched with the evidence gathered by the police. Together with medical and scientific evidence, it helped in securing the sentencing of the accused.

Police said Chander had been harassing the girl for a couple of years prior to the incident, while she was going to school. Fearing harm, her family kept her away from home for a few months but had to bring her back so that she could continue her studies. Taking advantage of this, the accused trapped her, dragged her into some bushes near the road and attacked her.