'We worship goddesses, but…' UP court hands death penalty to rapists
In his order, the judge said, "It's ironic that we worship Maa Durga for strength, Maa Lakshmi for wealth, Maa Saraswati for knowledge, and rivers like the Ganga as mothers in our country. In that country, such a heinous and brutal gang rape of a minor victim calls the entire society into question."
FollowThe Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Court in Pratapgarh, on Wednesday, sentenced two men to death for gang rape and attempting to kill a minor within 11 months of committing the crimes on December 27, 2021. In his order, POCSO Court Judge Pankaj Kumar Srivastava said, "It's ironic that we worship Maa Durga for strength, Maa Lakshmi for wealth, Maa Saraswati for knowledge, and rivers like the Ganga as mothers in our country. We have elevated women to positions such as President, Prime Minister, Chief Minister, Governor, and so on. In that country, such a heinous and brutal gang rape of a minor victim calls the entire society into question."
The judge also stressed that society is so narrow-minded that, while worshipping these goddesses for their needs, they see the goddesses who surround us, in the form of women, as objects of pleasure and do not spare even minor children to satisfy their desires.
Additionally, the court fined the two accused Rs 50,000 each after finding them guilty of raping the 11-year-old survivor and damaging her left eye, face, and leg bones.
According to the prosecution case, the three accused, Halim, Rizwan, and another, kidnapped the minor girl in December 2021, took her to nearby railway lines, and gang-raped her. She was left unconscious with several injuries on her body. As one of the accused was a minor, his case was assigned to Juvenile Court. Rizwan and Halim are from the village Parsai in the Pratapgarh district's Nawabganj police station.
On the same day, a criminal case was registered at Nawabganj police station under sections 326 (hurt), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), and 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the POCSO Act.
While confirming the two men's death sentences, the judge considered various Supreme Court decisions and concluded that the current case fell into the 'rarest of rare' category as the men completely deformed the victim's face and inflicted other bodily injuries.
"The accused not only gang-raped the victim, but they also permanently damaged her face by blinding her from the left eye. Whenever the victim will see herself in the mirror, she will feel sorry for being born into this world as a daughter. People die only once, but this victim will die thousands, if not millions, of times."
Taking note of the crime, UP CM Yogi Adityanath directed stern and prompt action against the perpetrators. "Not only did the police act quickly, but the prosecution side of the state government also made effective arguments before the court, which resulted in the severe punishment of the perpetrators of rape and attempted murder perpetrators within just 11 months," said a home department official.
The trial was completed in 10 months by the POCSO court on October 21, 2022, which found the two accused, Halim and Rizwan, guilty of rape, kidnapping, and attempting to commit culpable homicide with the minor girl. The perpetrators were then sentenced to death on Wednesday. The third accused was a minor.
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