Man gets 20 years rigorous jail for raping minor daughter

Kota: A POCSO court in Jhalawar sentenced a 45-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment Monday for repeatedly raping his 16-year-old daughter. The court also ordered the convict to pay a fine of Rs 12,000.Pronouncing the verdict, Judge Sanjay Kumar Bhatnagar held the father guilty under relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act .Public Prosecutor Dipesh Bhargav said, the prosecution recorded the statements of 14 witnesses and exhibited 27 documents before the court during the trial to secure the conviction. The convict was in judicial custody since his arrest.According to the prosecution, the ordeal of the minor survivor, who lived with her father and stepmother under the jurisdiction of Bhalta police station, came to light last year. Accompanied by her paternal aunt (bua), the girl approached Bhalta police on Feb 10, 2025, to lodge a formal complaint.In her report, the survivor stated that her biological mother abandoned the family due to continuous physical abuse and harassment by her husband.

Following this, the accused married another woman. While the survivor and her elder brother continued to live in the house, the brother eventually left home, unable to tolerate the frequent thrashing by their father.The public prosecutor added that one day while the girl was alone in the house, her father forcibly dragged her to his bed and raped her. He threatened her with dire consequences if she disclosed the matter to anyone. Taking advantage of her isolation, the accused continued to sexually exploit her.