Man gets 20 years in jail for sodomy; sent to correction home till he turns 21
Kota (Rajasthan): A special court here has sentenced an 18-year-old man to 20 years in jail for sodomising a seven-year-old boy but sent him to a correction home till he turns 21, according to a public prosecutor.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the convict and said he would serve another six months if he fails to deposit the amount.
Public Prosecutor Dhirendra Choudhary said the convict was 16-year-and-nine-month-old when the incident happened in September 2021. But the juvenile justice board recommended that he be tried as an adult.
However, the court directed that he be kept in a "place of safety" till he turns 21. It also said he should be provided counselling sessions for his educational, intellectual and behavioural development, Choudhary said.
The incident happened at a village in the Ramganjmandi police station area of Kota district and the victim's uncle filed a police complaint on September 14, 2021.
The complaint said that the convict, a neighbour, took his nephew to a deserted place near a pond on the pretext of buying him a kite and sodomised him. On returning home, the seven-year-old narrated the incident to his family members after which the complaint was filed.
The police lodged a case under section 377 (unnatural sex) of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the public prosecutor said.
The charge sheet was filed before the principal magistrate, Juvenile Justice Board, on December 17, 2021. The juvenile justice board recommend that the accused be tried as an adult and transferred the case to the POCSO court, the public prosecutor said.
POCSO court's special judge Mohammed Arif held him guilty of sodomy and awarded the sentence on Wednesday. The judge did not send him to jail directly but said he would be sent to a regular jail once he turns 21.
